Budibase vs Windmill: 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.
| Budibase | Windmill | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dev Tools | Dev Tools |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | ~28.2k | ~9k |
| Tech stack | Node.js, Svelte, CouchDB | Rust, TypeScript, PostgreSQL |
| Replaces | Retool, Airtable | Retool |
Budibase has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
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
Windmill
Scripts, workflows and internal dashboards, a self-hostable alternative to Retool.
Pros
- Runs real code, not just visual low-code
Things to consider
- Steeper learning curve if the team doesn't code
Key features
Budibase
- Drag-and-drop visual editor
- Connects Postgres, MongoDB, MySQL, REST APIs
- Zapier-style automations included
Windmill
- Scripts in Python, TypeScript and Go
- Auto-generated internal dashboards
- Scheduled flows and triggers
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