head to head · open source
ToolJet vs Bknd
ToolJet has 40,936 GitHub stars, 5,448 forks, 1,204 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Bknd has 3,762 stars, 145 forks, 42 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. ToolJet leads on adoption by 988% (40,936 vs 3,762 stars). ToolJet is written in JavaScript 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 | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-04-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.4K | ⑂ 145 |
| 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 JavaScript
- 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 low code platform for building internal tools—admin panels, dashboards, and operational applications—by connecting to existing databases, APIs, and SaaS systems. It lives in the JavaScript ecosystem and is licensed under AGPL 3.0.
read the full ToolJet overview →
About Bknd
Bknd is a lightweight TypeScript backend platform that provides a visual backend for database management, authentication, media, and workflows. It is positioned as a Firebase and Supabase alternative that can run inside many JavaScript environments, including Next.js, React Router, Astro, Cloudflare, Bun, Node.js, and AWS Lambda.
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Frequently asked questions
Is ToolJet or Bknd more popular?
ToolJet has 40,936 GitHub stars and Bknd has 3,762. 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 JavaScript 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 (40,936 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.