head to head · open source
AppSmith vs Budibase
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars, 4,761 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Budibase has 28,289 stars, 2,218 forks, 276 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AppSmith leads on adoption by 45% (40,894 vs 28,289 stars). AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Budibase is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. AppSmith has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Budibase 8%. AppSmith was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (internal-tools), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| AppSmith | Budibase | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 28K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 2.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AppSmith if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Budibase if
- You want the Budibase feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Budibase fits your workflow better
About AppSmith
Appsmith is an open source, Apache 2.0 low code platform written primarily in TypeScript that lets teams build custom internal tools such as admin panels, dashboards, and CRUD applications on top of their own databases and APIs.
read the full AppSmith overview →
About Budibase
Budibase is an open source low code platform for building internal tools, data apps, and AI powered agents that automate operational workflows. It lives in the low code/no code ecosystem and serves as a self hostable alternative to proprietary platforms like Retool.
read the full Budibase overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppSmith or Budibase more popular?
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars and Budibase has 28,289. AppSmith has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppSmith and Budibase free?
Both are open source. AppSmith is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Budibase has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between AppSmith and Budibase?
AppSmith is written in TypeScript and Budibase in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, AppSmith or Budibase?
Choose AppSmith if you want the larger community (40,894 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Budibase if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.