head to head · open source
ToolJet vs Fonoster
ToolJet has 40,936 GitHub stars, 5,448 forks, 1,204 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Fonoster has 8,113 stars, 555 forks, 22 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ToolJet leads on adoption by 405% (40,936 vs 8,113 stars). ToolJet is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0; Fonoster is written in TypeScript under MIT. ToolJet has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Fonoster 7%. ToolJet was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (javascript, kubernetes), 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 | Fonoster | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 8.1K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.4K | ⑂ 555 |
| 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 Fonoster if
- You want the Fonoster feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Fonoster 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 Fonoster
Fonoster is an MIT licensed TypeScript platform for programmable voice and telephony that is positioned as the open source alternative to Twilio, and it is aimed at developers and platform teams building cloud communications, voice applications and customer engagement products.
read the full Fonoster overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ToolJet or Fonoster more popular?
ToolJet has 40,936 GitHub stars and Fonoster has 8,113. ToolJet has the larger community by that measure.
Are ToolJet and Fonoster free?
Both are open source. ToolJet is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Fonoster under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ToolJet and Fonoster?
ToolJet is written in JavaScript and Fonoster 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 Fonoster?
Choose ToolJet if you want the larger community (40,936 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Fonoster if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.