head to head · open source
ToolJet vs Directus
ToolJet has 41,177 GitHub stars, 5,509 forks, 1,204 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Directus has 38,782 stars, 4,989 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. ToolJet leads on adoption by 6% (41,177 vs 38,782 stars). ToolJet is written in HTML under AGPL-3.0; Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. ToolJet has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Directus 13%. ToolJet was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (javascript), 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
| ToolJet | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 39K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | HTML | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 5.0K |
| 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 Directus if
- You want the Directus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Directus 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 Directus
The Collaborative Backend for Builders & AI Connect any SQL database and get instant REST and GraphQL APIs, a visual management Studio, and a native MCP server for AI agents. 45M+ downloads · 500K+ projects deployed [!NOTE] Free for most organizations. Under $5M annual revenue and 50 employees? Directus is completely free. Apply for an Open Innovation Grant license and get a key in minutes. Learn more about our license. 🐇 Introduction Directus wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API layer and a visual Studio. Engineers control schema and access. Non technical teammates and AI agents work directly…
read the full Directus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ToolJet or Directus more popular?
ToolJet has 41,177 GitHub stars and Directus has 38,782. ToolJet has the larger community by that measure.
Are ToolJet and Directus free?
Both are open source. ToolJet is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and Directus has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between ToolJet and Directus?
ToolJet is written in HTML and Directus 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 Directus?
Choose ToolJet if you want the larger community (41,177 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Directus if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.