head to head · open source
ToolJet vs Bknd
ToolJet has 41,179 GitHub stars, 5,510 forks, 1,204 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Bknd has 3,778 stars, 147 forks, 42 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. ToolJet leads on adoption by 990% (41,179 vs 3,778 stars). ToolJet is written in HTML under AGPL-3.0; Bknd is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. ToolJet has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Bknd 4%. ToolJet 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
| ToolJet | Bknd | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | HTML | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 147 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ToolJet if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches HTML
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Bknd if
- You want the Bknd 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 Bknd fits your workflow better
About ToolJet
ToolJet is an open source platform for building internal tools: admin panels, dashboards, and operational apps that run on your existing databases, APIs, and SaaS systems. Build them by prompting. ToolJet AI turns a description into pages, queries, and components, and the coding agent you already use can do the same through ToolJet's MCP server. Agents build against ToolJet's real component and data contracts rather than emitting free form code, so what you get is an actual ToolJet app: one your team keeps editing in the visual builder, under the same permissions, environments, and version history as everything…
read the full ToolJet overview →
About Bknd
⭐ Live Demo bknd simplifies app development by providing a fully functional visual backend for database management, authentication, media and workflows. Being lightweight and built on Web Standards, it can be deployed nearly anywhere, including running inside your framework of choice. No more deploying multiple separate services! It's designed to avoid vendor lock in and architectural limitations. Built exclusively on WinterTC Minimum Common Web Platform API for universal compatibility, all functionality (data, auth, media, flows) is modular and opt in, and infrastructure access is adapter based with direct…
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Frequently asked questions
Is ToolJet or Bknd more popular?
ToolJet has 41,179 GitHub stars and Bknd has 3,778. ToolJet has the larger community by that measure.
Are ToolJet and Bknd free?
Both are open source. ToolJet is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Bknd under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ToolJet and Bknd?
ToolJet is written in HTML and Bknd 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, ToolJet or Bknd?
Choose ToolJet if you want the larger community (41,179 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Bknd if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.