head to head · open source
Directus vs Onlook
Directus has 37,947 GitHub stars, 4,944 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Onlook has 26,752 stars, 2,101 forks, 380 open issues and last shipped 24 days ago. Directus leads on adoption by 42% (37,947 vs 26,752 stars). Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Onlook is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Directus has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Onlook 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Directus | Onlook | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 38K | ★ 27K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.9K | ⑂ 2.1K |
| 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 Onlook if
- You want the Onlook 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 Onlook 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 Onlook
Onlook is an open source, Apache 2.0 visual editor for Next.js and TailwindCSS projects that lets designers and developers edit a running React app in the browser while the underlying code changes in real time.
read the full Onlook 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 Directus or Onlook more popular?
Directus has 37,947 GitHub stars and Onlook has 26,752. Directus has the larger community by that measure.
Are Directus and Onlook free?
Both are open source. Directus has no licence declared in this registry, and Onlook is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Directus and Onlook?
Directus is written in TypeScript and Onlook 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 Onlook?
Choose Directus if you want the larger community (37,947 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Onlook if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.