head to head · open source
PocketBase vs Rowy
PocketBase has 61,103 GitHub stars, 3,694 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Rowy has 6,841 stars, 557 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped 1.8 years ago. PocketBase leads on adoption by 793% (61,103 vs 6,841 stars). PocketBase is written in Go under MIT; Rowy is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. PocketBase has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Rowy 8%. PocketBase 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.
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Side by side
| PocketBase | Rowy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 61K | ★ 6.8K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2024-11-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 557 |
| 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 Rowy if
- You want the Rowy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Rowy 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 Rowy
Rowy is an open source low code backend platform that runs in the browser. It provides a spreadsheet like interface for managing data stored in Firestore, and it embeds a code editor for writing cloud functions in JavaScript or TypeScript. The project lives in the Firebase and Google Cloud Platform ecosystem, and it is written in TypeScript. It is commonly described as an Airtable style front end for a Firestore database, with automation built in.
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Frequently asked questions
Is PocketBase or Rowy more popular?
PocketBase has 61,103 GitHub stars and Rowy has 6,841. PocketBase has the larger community by that measure.
Are PocketBase and Rowy free?
Both are open source. PocketBase is licensed under MIT, and Rowy has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between PocketBase and Rowy?
PocketBase is written in Go and Rowy 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 Rowy?
Choose PocketBase if you want the larger community (61,103 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Rowy if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.