head to head · open source
lowdb vs FlyEnv
lowdb has 22,580 GitHub stars, 962 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. FlyEnv has 3,233 stars, 371 forks, 37 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. lowdb leads on adoption by 598% (22,580 vs 3,233 stars). lowdb is written in JavaScript under MIT; FlyEnv is written in TypeScript under BSD-3-Clause. lowdb has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, FlyEnv 11%. FlyEnv 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
| lowdb | FlyEnv | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 23K | ★ 3.2K |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-03-27 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 962 | ⑂ 371 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick lowdb if
- You weight community size — 23K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick FlyEnv if
- You want the FlyEnv feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and FlyEnv fits your workflow better
About lowdb
lowdb is a small, MIT licensed embedded JSON database for JavaScript and TypeScript that persists data to a plain db.json file, aimed at Node.js, Electron, and browser projects that need local storage without running a database server.
read the full lowdb overview →
About FlyEnv
FlyEnv is a native, cross platform desktop application that installs and manages a complete local development stack — language runtimes, databases, web servers, local sites with HTTPS, and AI coding tools — directly on Windows, macOS, and Linux, for developers who want a working local environment without container orchestration.
read the full FlyEnv overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is lowdb or FlyEnv more popular?
lowdb has 22,580 GitHub stars and FlyEnv has 3,233. lowdb has the larger community by that measure.
Are lowdb and FlyEnv free?
Both are open source. lowdb is licensed under MIT and FlyEnv under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between lowdb and FlyEnv?
lowdb is written in JavaScript and FlyEnv 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, lowdb or FlyEnv?
Choose lowdb if you want the larger community (22,580 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose FlyEnv if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.