head to head · open source
NocoDB vs Directus
NocoDB has 65,408 GitHub stars, 5,131 forks, 710 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Directus has 38,799 stars, 4,991 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped yesterday. NocoDB leads on adoption by 69% (65,408 vs 38,799 stars). NocoDB is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. NocoDB has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Directus 13%. 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
| NocoDB | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 65K | ★ 39K |
| License | Custom / other | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 5.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick NocoDB if
- You weight community size — 65K 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 Directus if
- You want the Directus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Directus fits your workflow better
About NocoDB
NocoDB is the fastest and easiest way to build databases online. Website • Discord • Community • Twitter • Reddit • Documentation See other languages » Join Our Community Installation Docker with SQLite Docker with PG Auto upstall Auto upstall is a single command that sets up NocoDB on a server for production usage. Behind the scenes it auto generates docker compose for you. bash bash install.nocodb.com/noco.sh script can be found here in our github Other Methods Binaries are only for quick testing locally. When running locally access nocodb by visiting: For more installation methods, please refer to our docs…
read the full NocoDB overview →
About Directus
The Collaborative Backend for Builders & AI Connect any SQL database and get instant REST and GraphQL APIs, a visual management Studio, and a native MCP server for AI agents. 45M+ downloads · 500K+ projects deployed [!NOTE] Free for most organizations. Under $5M annual revenue and 50 employees? Directus is completely free. Apply for an Open Innovation Grant license and get a key in minutes. Learn more about our license. 🐇 Introduction Directus wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API layer and a visual Studio. Engineers control schema and access. Non technical teammates and AI agents work directly…
read the full Directus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is NocoDB or Directus more popular?
NocoDB has 65,408 GitHub stars and Directus has 38,799. NocoDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are NocoDB and Directus free?
Neither NocoDB nor Directus declares a licence in this registry, so check each project's own repository before relying on either for a commercial use. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between NocoDB and Directus?
NocoDB is written in TypeScript and Directus 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, NocoDB or Directus?
Choose NocoDB if you want the larger community (65,408 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Directus if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.