head to head · open source
PocketBase vs bb
PocketBase has 61,160 GitHub stars, 3,703 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped yesterday. bb has 3,946 stars, 553 forks, 463 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PocketBase leads on adoption by 1,450% (61,160 vs 3,946 stars). PocketBase is written in Go under MIT; bb is written in TypeScript under MIT. PocketBase has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, bb 14%. bb 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
| PocketBase | bb | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 61K | ★ 3.9K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-26 | 2026-09-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 553 |
| 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 bb if
- You want the bb feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and bb 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 bb
bb is the agent IDE that builds itself: an MIT licensed TypeScript application that lets developers drive coding agents from a desktop app, a web app, a CLI, or an HTTP API, and extend the tool itself while it runs.
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Frequently asked questions
Is PocketBase or bb more popular?
PocketBase has 61,160 GitHub stars and bb has 3,946. PocketBase has the larger community by that measure.
Are PocketBase and bb free?
Both are open source. PocketBase is licensed under MIT and bb under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PocketBase and bb?
PocketBase is written in Go and bb 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, PocketBase or bb?
Choose PocketBase if you want the larger community (61,160 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose bb if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.