head to head · open source
Builder vs Silex
Builder has 8,835 GitHub stars, 1,163 forks, 148 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Silex has 2,973 stars, 678 forks, 70 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Builder leads on adoption by 197% (8,835 vs 2,973 stars). Builder is written in TypeScript under MIT; Silex is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Builder has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Silex 23%. Builder was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (nocode), 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
| Builder | Silex | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 8.8K | ★ 3.0K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.2K | ⑂ 678 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Builder if
- You weight community size — 8.8K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Silex if
- You want the Silex feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Silex fits your workflow better
About Builder
Builder is a visual development platform that connects to an existing site or app so teams can edit visually and generate code using components they already own, aimed at frontend developers and no code builders working across React, Vue, Svelte, Qwik, Angular, Next.js, and Gatsby.
read the full Builder overview →
About Silex
Silex is a free, open source visual website builder that lets designers, agencies, and no code developers build static sites by drag and drop and export clean HTML and CSS they can host anywhere.
read the full Silex overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Builder or Silex more popular?
Builder has 8,835 GitHub stars and Silex has 2,973. Builder has the larger community by that measure.
Are Builder and Silex free?
Both are open source. Builder is licensed under MIT and Silex under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Builder and Silex?
Builder is written in TypeScript and Silex 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, Builder or Silex?
Choose Builder if you want the larger community (8,835 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Silex if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.