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10 top picks · 3 audience rankings

Best open source low-code and backend platforms

The best open source low-code platform is Supabase (Apache-2.0, 114,226 GitHub stars, Docker image). Dify.ai (source-available) stands out for the most GitHub stars, and Appwrite stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (21,189).

This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Supabase leads for startups, enterprise and solo developers.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Supabase

    supabase/supabase

    Postgres development platform with auth, realtime, storage and edge functions, the open-source Firebase alternative.

    Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026

    Low-code & BackendTypeScriptDocker

    Stands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. Supabase has 114,226 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,324 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase.

  2. Rank 2:

    Dify.ai

    langgenius/dify

    Build, test and deploy LLM applications.

    Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026

    Source-availableLow-code & BackendPythonDocker

    AI-nativeStands out for the most GitHub stars. Dify.ai has 159,780 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Dify Open Source License (modified Apache 2.0) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 6,840 commits in the last year.

  3. Rank 3:

    Appwrite

    appwrite/appwrite

    End to end backend server for web, native, and mobile developers 🚀.

    Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026

    Low-code & BackendTypeScriptDocker

    Stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (21,189). Appwrite has 57,786 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, ships a Docker image and had 21,189 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase and Supabase.

At a glance

Open source low-code and backend platforms compared

Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 16 apps in the low-code & backend category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.

Top 10 picks compared, data as of Oct 28, 2026
AppStands out forLicenseGitHub starsCommits (12 mo)Last commitDocker image
Supabasea permissive Apache-2.0 licenseApache-2.0114,2266,324Oct 28, 2026Yes
Dify.aithe most GitHub starssource-available, Dify Open Source License (modified Apache 2.0)159,7806,840Oct 28, 2026Yes
Appwritethe most commits in the last 12 months (21,189)BSD-3-Clause57,78621,189Oct 28, 2026Yes
ToolJetits HTML codebaseAGPL-3.041,1366,225Oct 28, 2026Yes
Haloits Java codebaseGPL-3.040,071627Oct 27, 2026Yes
Appsmith–Apache-2.041,134478Oct 28, 2026Yes
Budibase–GPL-3.028,36213,982Oct 28, 2026Yes
Parse Server–Apache-2.021,397806Oct 24, 2026Yes
Windmill–AGPL-3.018,3034,656Oct 28, 2026Yes
NocoBase–source-available, NocoBase License Agreement (Apache 2.0 with added terms)24,7546,129Oct 28, 2026Yes

1 of 4 · 10 picks

Top picks

10 of the 16 apps in the low-code & backend category.

  1. 1

    Supabase

    Postgres development platform with auth, realtime, storage and edge functions, the open-source Firebase alternative.

    Stands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. Supabase has 114,226 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,324 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase.

  2. 2

    Dify.ai

    Build, test and deploy LLM applications.

    AI-nativeStands out for the most GitHub stars. Dify.ai has 159,780 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Dify Open Source License (modified Apache 2.0) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 6,840 commits in the last year.

  3. 3

    Appwrite

    End to end backend server for web, native, and mobile developers 🚀.

    Stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (21,189). Appwrite has 57,786 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, ships a Docker image and had 21,189 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase and Supabase.

  4. 4

    ToolJet

    Low-code framework to build & deploy internal tools with minimal engineering effort (alternative to Retool and Mendix).

    Stands out for its HTML codebase. ToolJet has 41,136 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,225 commits in the last year; it replaces Retool and Bubble.

  5. 5

    Halo

    A powerful and easy-to-use website building tool (documentation in Chinese).

    Stands out for its Java codebase. Halo has 40,071 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 627 commits in the last year.

  6. 6

    Appsmith

    Build admin panels, CRUD apps and workflows. Build everything you need, 10x faster.

    Appsmith has 41,134 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 478 commits in the last year; it replaces Retool and Bubble.

  7. 7

    Budibase

    Build and automate internal tools, admin panels, dashboards, CRUD apps, and more, in minutes (alternative to Outsystems, Retool, Mendix, Appian).

    Budibase has 28,362 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 13,982 commits in the last year; it replaces Retool and Bubble.

  8. 8

    Parse Server

    Open-source backend that runs on Node.js and any database.

    Parse Server has 21,397 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 806 commits in the last year.

  9. 9

    Windmill

    Fast workflow engine and internal tool builder that turns scripts into UIs and automations.

    AI-nativeWindmill has 18,303 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 4,656 commits in the last year.

  10. 10

    NocoBase

    Extensible no-code and low-code platform for building business apps.

    NocoBase has 24,754 GitHub stars, is source-available under the NocoBase License Agreement (Apache 2.0 with added terms) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 6,129 commits in the last year.

2 of 4 · 5 picks

Which open source low-code platform is best for startups?

For startups, Supabase ranks first (Apache-2.0, 114,226 GitHub stars), followed by Appwrite and Appsmith. Ranked for startups on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Supabase

    Postgres development platform with auth, realtime, storage and edge functions, the open-source Firebase alternative.

    Supabase has 114,226 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,324 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (Apache-2.0), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Appwrite

    End to end backend server for web, native, and mobile developers 🚀.

    Appwrite has 57,786 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, ships a Docker image and had 21,189 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase and Supabase. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (BSD-3-Clause), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Appsmith

    Build admin panels, CRUD apps and workflows. Build everything you need, 10x faster.

    Appsmith has 41,134 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 478 commits in the last year; it replaces Retool and Bubble. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (Apache-2.0), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    Dify.ai

    Build, test and deploy LLM applications.

    AI-nativeDify.ai has 159,780 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Dify Open Source License (modified Apache 2.0) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 6,840 commits in the last year. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    ToolJet

    Low-code framework to build & deploy internal tools with minimal engineering effort (alternative to Retool and Mendix).

    ToolJet has 41,136 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,225 commits in the last year; it replaces Retool and Bubble. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

3 of 4 · 5 picks

Which open source low-code platform is best for enterprise?

For enterprise, Supabase ranks first (Apache-2.0, 114,226 GitHub stars), followed by Dify.ai (source-available) and Appwrite. Ranked for enterprise on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Supabase

    Postgres development platform with auth, realtime, storage and edge functions, the open-source Firebase alternative.

    Supabase has 114,226 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,324 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Dify.ai

    Build, test and deploy LLM applications.

    AI-nativeDify.ai has 159,780 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Dify Open Source License (modified Apache 2.0) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 6,840 commits in the last year. For enterprise it also scores on a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Appwrite

    End to end backend server for web, native, and mobile developers 🚀.

    Appwrite has 57,786 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, ships a Docker image and had 21,189 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase and Supabase. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    ToolJet

    Low-code framework to build & deploy internal tools with minimal engineering effort (alternative to Retool and Mendix).

    ToolJet has 41,136 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,225 commits in the last year; it replaces Retool and Bubble. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Halo

    A powerful and easy-to-use website building tool (documentation in Chinese).

    Halo has 40,071 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 627 commits in the last year. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

4 of 4 · 5 picks

Which open source low-code platform is best for solo developers?

For solo developers, Supabase ranks first (Apache-2.0, 114,226 GitHub stars), followed by Appwrite and Dify.ai (source-available). Ranked for solo developers on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Supabase

    Postgres development platform with auth, realtime, storage and edge functions, the open-source Firebase alternative.

    Supabase has 114,226 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in TypeScript and had 6,324 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Appwrite

    End to end backend server for web, native, and mobile developers 🚀.

    Appwrite has 57,786 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, ships a Docker image, is written in TypeScript and had 21,189 commits in the last year; it replaces Firebase and Supabase. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Dify.ai

    Build, test and deploy LLM applications.

    AI-nativeDify.ai has 159,780 GitHub stars, is source-available under the Dify Open Source License (modified Apache 2.0) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image, is written in Python and had 6,840 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    ToolJet

    Low-code framework to build & deploy internal tools with minimal engineering effort (alternative to Retool and Mendix).

    ToolJet has 41,136 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in HTML and had 6,225 commits in the last year; it replaces Retool and Bubble. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Halo

    A powerful and easy-to-use website building tool (documentation in Chinese).

    Halo has 40,071 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 627 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

Is Supabase free?

Yes. Supabase is open-source software released under the Apache-2.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

Can I self-host these low-code and backend platforms with Docker?

Yes, all of them. Supabase, Dify.ai and Appwrite publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose.

Are all of these low-code and backend platforms open source?

8 of the 10 apps on this list are open source; 2 are source-available. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.

Which of these low-code and backend platforms is the most actively developed?

Appwrite, with 21,189 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, 2.6.2, from October 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 16 apps in the low-code & backend category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.

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