head to head · open source
ToolJet vs Budibase
ToolJet has 40,936 GitHub stars, 5,448 forks, 1,204 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Budibase has 28,289 stars, 2,218 forks, 276 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ToolJet leads on adoption by 45% (40,936 vs 28,289 stars). ToolJet is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0; Budibase is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. ToolJet has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Budibase 8%. ToolJet was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (ai-app-builder, internal-tools, low-code, no-code), 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| ToolJet | Budibase | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 28K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.4K | ⑂ 2.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ToolJet if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- 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 ToolJet
ToolJet is an open source low code platform for building internal tools—admin panels, dashboards, and operational applications—by connecting to existing databases, APIs, and SaaS systems. It lives in the JavaScript ecosystem and is licensed under AGPL 3.0.
read the full ToolJet 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 →
More in Developer Tools
Related comparisons
More Frameworks & Platforms projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Frameworks & Platforms field.
Frequently asked questions
Is ToolJet or Budibase more popular?
ToolJet has 40,936 GitHub stars and Budibase has 28,289. ToolJet has the larger community by that measure.
Are ToolJet and Budibase free?
Both are open source. ToolJet is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and Budibase has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between ToolJet and Budibase?
ToolJet is written in JavaScript 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, ToolJet or Budibase?
Choose ToolJet if you want the larger community (40,936 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Budibase if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.