head to head · open source
Budibase vs Bknd
Budibase has 28,376 GitHub stars, 2,236 forks, 276 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Bknd has 3,778 stars, 147 forks, 42 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Budibase leads on adoption by 651% (28,376 vs 3,778 stars). Budibase is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Bknd is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Budibase has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Bknd 4%. Budibase was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| Budibase | Bknd | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 28K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.2K | ⑂ 147 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Budibase if
- You weight community size — 28K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Bknd if
- You want the Bknd feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Bknd fits your workflow better
About Budibase
Budibase AI Agents that run your operations Budibase is an open source operations platform that saves engineers 100s of hours building Agents, Apps and Automations, securely. 🤖 🎨 🚀 Get started we host (Budibase Cloud) · Get started you host (Docker, K8s, DO) · Docs · Feature request · Report a bug · Support: Discussions ✨ Features Run your operations on one platform Handle requests, automate workflows, manage processes, and connect your business systems without stitching together multiple tools. Employees ask questions, request approvals, and report issues every day. Budibase agents understand these requests…
read the full Budibase overview →
About Bknd
⭐ Live Demo bknd simplifies app development by providing a fully functional visual backend for database management, authentication, media and workflows. Being lightweight and built on Web Standards, it can be deployed nearly anywhere, including running inside your framework of choice. No more deploying multiple separate services! It's designed to avoid vendor lock in and architectural limitations. Built exclusively on WinterTC Minimum Common Web Platform API for universal compatibility, all functionality (data, auth, media, flows) is modular and opt in, and infrastructure access is adapter based with direct…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Budibase or Bknd more popular?
Budibase has 28,376 GitHub stars and Bknd has 3,778. Budibase has the larger community by that measure.
Are Budibase and Bknd free?
Both are open source. Budibase has no licence declared in this registry, and Bknd is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Budibase and Bknd?
Budibase is written in TypeScript and Bknd 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, Budibase or Bknd?
Choose Budibase if you want the larger community (28,376 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Bknd if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.