Budibase vs ToolJet
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Budibase
Low-code platform to build internal tools and automations
VS
ToolJet
Low-code platform for building and automating business tools
| Feature | Budibase | ToolJet |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28,300 | ★ 40,984 |
| First released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Microsoft Power Apps, Retool, Airtable | Retool, Microsoft Power Apps |
What are Budibase and ToolJet?
Budibase
Budibase is an open-source low-code platform for building internal tools, apps and workflow automations. It connects to databases and APIs and includes an automation engine triggered by events.
- Drag-and-drop app builder
- Built-in automation engine
- Many data source connectors
- Self-hostable with Docker
ToolJet
ToolJet is an open-source low-code framework to build and deploy internal tools and workflows. It offers a visual app builder, a workflow engine and many data source connectors.
- Visual app and tool builder
- Workflow automation engine
- 50+ data source connectors
- Granular access control
Budibase vs ToolJet: key differences
Budibase is written in TypeScript, while ToolJet is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Budibase versus AGPL-3.0 for ToolJet. Budibase is the more established project (first released 2019), while ToolJet arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Budibase if…
- Fast internal tool building
- Good automation features
Watch out for
- Resource heavy multi-service stack
Choose ToolJet if…
- Rich connector library
- Active development
Watch out for
- Heavy resource requirements
Frequently asked questions
Is Budibase or ToolJet better?
Neither is universally better. ToolJet has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Budibase and ToolJet free and open-source?
Yes. Budibase is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ToolJet under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Budibase and ToolJet with Docker?
Budibase: yes. ToolJet: yes.