head to head · open source
Directus vs HeyForm
Directus has 37,947 GitHub stars, 4,944 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped yesterday. HeyForm has 8,977 stars, 708 forks, 10 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. Directus leads on adoption by 323% (37,947 vs 8,977 stars). Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; HeyForm is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Directus has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, HeyForm 8%. Directus 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
| Directus | HeyForm | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 38K | ★ 9.0K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.9K | ⑂ 708 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Directus if
- You weight community size — 38K 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 HeyForm if
- You want the HeyForm feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and HeyForm fits your workflow better
About Directus
Directus is an open source data platform that wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API layer and a visual management interface. It lives in the developer tools and frameworks ecosystem, specifically targeting teams needing a flexible backend for content management, admin panels, or custom applications without writing boilerplate code.
read the full Directus overview →
About HeyForm
HeyForm is an open source form builder written in TypeScript and released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. It lives in the JavaScript and TypeScript ecosystem, and its repository is organised as a monorepo of packages: a Node server, a React webapp, a form renderer, an embeddable JavaScript library, and shared utilities and type definitions used by both the server and the webapp. The project describes itself as an open source form builder built for small business success, and it is positioned as an open alternative to Typeform.
read the full HeyForm overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Directus or HeyForm more popular?
Directus has 37,947 GitHub stars and HeyForm has 8,977. Directus has the larger community by that measure.
Are Directus and HeyForm free?
Both are open source. Directus has no licence declared in this registry, and HeyForm is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Directus and HeyForm?
Directus is written in TypeScript and HeyForm 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, Directus or HeyForm?
Choose Directus if you want the larger community (37,947 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose HeyForm if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.