Appsmith vs Automa
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Appsmith
Open-source low-code platform for building internal apps
VS
Automa
Browser automation via drag-and-drop visual workflows
| Feature | Appsmith | Automa |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 40,605 | ★ 21,543 |
| First released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Retool, Microsoft Power Apps | Zapier, UiPath |
Why pick each one
Choose Automa if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 21.5k GitHub stars
- Written in Vue
Frequently asked questions
Is Appsmith or Automa better?
Neither is universally better. Appsmith has the larger community, while Automa is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Appsmith and Automa free and open-source?
Yes. Appsmith is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Automa under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Appsmith and Automa with Docker?
Appsmith: yes. Automa: check the project docs for container support.