head to head · open source
react vs AppSmith
react has 252,080 GitHub stars, 51,601 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. AppSmith has 41,149 stars, 4,825 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. react leads on adoption by 513% (252,080 vs 41,149 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. react has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, AppSmith 12%. AppSmith 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
| react | AppSmith | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 252K | ★ 41K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-31 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 52K | ⑂ 4.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick react if
- You weight community size — 252K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick AppSmith if
- You want the AppSmith 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 AppSmith fits your workflow better
About react
React · React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. Declarative: React makes it painless to create interactive UIs. Design simple views for each state in your application, and React will efficiently update and render just the right components when your data changes. Declarative views make your code more predictable, simpler to understand, and easier to debug. Component Based: Build encapsulated components that manage their own state, then compose them to make complex UIs. Since component logic is written in JavaScript instead of templates, you can easily pass rich data through your app and…
read the full react overview →
About AppSmith
Organizations build custom applications like dashboards, admin panels, customer 360, IT automation, and service management tools to help their teams work more efficiently and effectively. Appsmith is an open source low code platform that streamlines custom application development, deployment, and maintenance. Learn more on our website. Installation There are two ways to start using Appsmith: Signup on Appsmith Cloud. Install Appsmith on your machine. See the installation guides below. For other deployment options, see the Installation Guides documentation. Development To build and run Appsmith in your local dev…
read the full AppSmith overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is react or AppSmith more popular?
react has 252,080 GitHub stars and AppSmith has 41,149. react has the larger community by that measure.
Are react and AppSmith free?
Both are open source. react is licensed under MIT and AppSmith under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between react and AppSmith?
react is written in JavaScript and AppSmith 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, react or AppSmith?
Choose react if you want the larger community (252,080 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose AppSmith if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.