Appsmith vs Budibase: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Retool. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| Appsmith | Budibase | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dev Tools | Dev Tools |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | ~40.8k | ~28.2k |
| Tech stack | Java, React, MongoDB | Node.js, Svelte, CouchDB |
| Replaces | Retool, PowerApps | Retool, Airtable |
Appsmith has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
Appsmith
Low-code editor for internal dashboards, a direct alternative to Retool.
Pros
- The gentlest learning curve if you already know Retool
Things to consider
- Needs a fair amount of RAM on small instances
Budibase
Low-code builder for internal apps, an alternative to Retool.
Pros
- Very fast for prototyping internal dashboards
Things to consider
- GPL-3.0 license, check the implications if you redistribute it modified
Key features
Appsmith
- Visual editor very similar to Retool
- Embedded JS in any field
- Connects more than 25 different data sources
Budibase
- Drag-and-drop visual editor
- Connects Postgres, MongoDB, MySQL, REST APIs
- Zapier-style automations included
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