Amplication vs Refine
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 | Refine |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,016 | ★ 35,713 |
| First released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Retool, Hasura | Retool |
What are Amplication and Refine?
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
Refine
Refine is an open-source React-based framework for rapidly building CRUD-heavy applications such as admin panels, dashboards and internal tools. The resulting apps are self-hosted on your own infrastructure.
- Headless React framework
- CRUD scaffolding
- Many backend connectors
- Auth and access control
Amplication vs Refine: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Amplication versus MIT for Refine. Refine is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Amplication. Refine has the considerably larger community, at 35,713 GitHub stars versus 16,016.
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 Refine if…
- Rapid CRUD scaffolding
- Backend-agnostic data providers
- Works with any UI kit
Watch out for
- React knowledge required
- Abstraction learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is Amplication or Refine better?
Neither is universally better. Refine has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Amplication and Refine free and open-source?
Yes. Amplication is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Refine under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Amplication and Refine with Docker?
Amplication: yes. Refine: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Amplication or Refine?
Refine has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Amplication. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.