Refine 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?
Refine
React framework for building internal tools and admin panels
VS
Reflex
Build full-stack web apps in pure Python
| Feature | Refine | Reflex |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source, docker | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 35,481 | ★ 28,792 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Retool | Streamlit, Retool |
Why pick each one
Choose Refine if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 35.5k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
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 Refine or Reflex 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 Refine and Reflex free and open-source?
Yes. Refine is licensed under MIT and Reflex under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Refine and Reflex with Docker?
Refine: yes. Reflex: yes.