Amplication vs Lowdefy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Amplication | Lowdefy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,016 | ★ 3,009 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Retool, Hasura | Retool, Appsmith |
What are Amplication and Lowdefy?
Amplication
Amplication is an open-source backend development platform that generates production-ready Node.js applications with APIs, authentication and database access. It can be self-hosted to build and manage services.
- Generates Node.js backends
- REST and GraphQL APIs
- Built-in auth
- Plugin system
Lowdefy
Lowdefy is an open-source low-code framework for building web apps, admin panels and internal tools using simple YAML configuration files. The apps run on a self-hostable Node.js server.
- Apps defined in YAML
- No frontend code
- Many data connectors
- Self-hosted server
Amplication vs Lowdefy: key differences
Amplication is written in TypeScript, while Lowdefy is built with JavaScript. Lowdefy is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Amplication. Amplication has the considerably larger community, at 16,016 GitHub stars versus 3,009.
Why pick each one
Choose Amplication if…
- Generates production boilerplate
- Auth included out-of-box
- Git sync workflow
Watch out for
- Node.js stack only
- Some features paid
Choose Lowdefy if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Amplication or Lowdefy better?
Neither is universally better. Amplication has the larger community, while Lowdefy is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Amplication and Lowdefy free and open-source?
Yes. Amplication is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Lowdefy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Amplication and Lowdefy with Docker?
Amplication: yes. Lowdefy: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Amplication or Lowdefy?
Lowdefy has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Amplication. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.