head to head · open source
PocketBase vs Appwrite
PocketBase has 61,076 GitHub stars, 3,689 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Appwrite has 57,404 stars, 5,727 forks, 1,008 open issues and last shipped today. PocketBase leads on adoption by 6% (61,076 vs 57,404 stars). PocketBase is written in Go under MIT; Appwrite is written in PHP under BSD-3-Clause. PocketBase has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Appwrite 10%. Appwrite was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (backend), 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 13541 open source comparisons
Side by side
| PocketBase | Appwrite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 61K | ★ 57K |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | Go | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 5.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PocketBase if
- You weight community size — 61K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Appwrite if
- You want the Appwrite feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and Appwrite fits your workflow better
About PocketBase
PocketBase is an open source backend framework written in Go that bundles a SQLite database, authentication, file storage, admin dashboard, and REST API into a single executable file. It lives in the Go ecosystem and targets developers who want a lightweight, self contained backend without managing separate services like PostgreSQL, Redis, or a separate auth server.
read the full PocketBase overview →
About Appwrite
Appwrite is an open source backend platform that consolidates infrastructure services—authentication, databases, storage, functions, messaging, hosting, and real time capabilities—into a single, unified system. It runs as a self hosted service or via a managed cloud offering (Appwrite Cloud), targeting developers who want to avoid assembling and maintaining disparate backend tools.
read the full Appwrite 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 PocketBase or Appwrite more popular?
PocketBase has 61,076 GitHub stars and Appwrite has 57,404. PocketBase has the larger community by that measure.
Are PocketBase and Appwrite free?
Both are open source. PocketBase is licensed under MIT and Appwrite under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PocketBase and Appwrite?
PocketBase is written in Go and Appwrite in PHP. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, PocketBase or Appwrite?
Choose PocketBase if you want the larger community (61,076 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Appwrite if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.