marimo vs Reflex
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
marimo
Reactive Python notebook that runs as a web app
VS
Reflex
Build full-stack web apps in pure Python
| Feature | marimo | Reflex |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,263 | ★ 28,792 |
| First released | 2023 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Jupyter, Streamlit | Streamlit, Retool |
Why pick each one
Choose marimo if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 22.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Choose Reflex if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 28.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is marimo or Reflex better?
Neither is universally better. Reflex has the larger community, while marimo is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are marimo and Reflex free and open-source?
Yes. marimo is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Reflex under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run marimo and Reflex with Docker?
marimo: check the project docs for container support. Reflex: yes.