Appsmith vs Budibase (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Appsmith grades higher than Budibase: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Appsmith grades higher on value for money and platforms. Budibase grades higher on features. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Appsmith
Open-source low-code platform for internal apps
Budibase
Open-source platform for internal apps, automations and AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick Appsmith if
- Fits if you build internal tools and can self-host to pay nothing
- Works for small teams of up to 5 on the free cloud plan
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow, as the free cloud plan stops at 5 users, 5 workspaces and 3 Git repos
- Pricey if you need SSO, since SAML, OIDC and SCIM are Enterprise at $2,500 a month
- Watch out: Workflows, audit logs and custom roles start on Business
- Watch out: the page does not say whether the $15 Business price is monthly or yearly
Pick Budibase if
- Fits if you can run your own server and want internal tools with no per-seat fee
- Works for teams that want the data to stay on infrastructure they control
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want it hosted: Cloud is $299 a month and up, billing basis not shown
- Skip it if you have no one to run a server, as the free edition is self-managed
- Tight if you rely on Cloud actions: they are a hard monthly limit with no overage, and more means sales
- Watch out: extra creators are $50 to $60 a month and extra end users $5 to $6
- Watch out: the Community edition keeps a 1-day automation log and has no Budibase AI
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAAppsmithGood | 2.2GPABudibaseFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AAn open-source edition you can host for free, a free cloud plan, and Business at $15 a user, under this category's $16 cheaper quarter. | DCloud starts at $299 a month, about fifteen times the category's middle of $20, for 2 creators and 20 end users. Self-hosting is free, but that needs a server of your own. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe cloud Free plan is 5 users, 5 workspaces and 3 Git repos, and the open-source edition has no cap. A small team can live on that. | BThe Community edition is free to self-host with unlimited users, apps and automations, plus a 14-day Cloud trial. You need a server for it, and it has one workspace. |
| Features | CDrag-and-drop UI, data connections, JavaScript and Git. The listing's gap: workflows, packages and audit logs start on Business. | BApp, automation and agent builders, data sources, a service portal and self-hosting. No gap shows in the job, only limits on the free edition. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and building an app means connecting data and writing JavaScript. | CA web builder where the work is building the apps themselves. No store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with GitHub, Google, Salesforce and AWS S3 listed, plus self-hosting. | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations beyond its data sources. |
| Best for | internal tools you can self-host for free | internal apps and automations, self-hosted |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Appsmith and Budibase. How we grade
Price against what you get
Appsmith starts at $15 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Budibase starts at $299 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Appsmith starts $284 a month lower. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 6 score higher than Appsmith for less, and 29 score higher than Budibase for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Budibase also covers workflow automation, AI agents and no-code.
At a glance
| Appsmith | Budibase | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $15 per user / month | $299 per month and up (Budibase Cloud, billing basis not shown) |
| Free plan | Free plan for cloud: up to 5 users, 5 workspaces, Git with 3 repos and community support. The open-source Community edition is free to self-host. | Community edition: free to self-host, with unlimited users, apps, agents and automations. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Budibase Cloud |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Appsmith | Budibase, Inc. |
| Price read from | appsmith.com | budibase.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Appsmith
- The Free cloud plan stops at 5 users, 5 workspaces and 3 Git repos.
- Workflows, reusable packages, audit logs and custom roles start on Business, which covers up to 99 users.
- Enterprise starts at $2,500 a month for 100 users, and SAML or OIDC SSO and SCIM are limited to it.
- The pricing page does not say whether the $15 Business price is monthly or annual billing.
Budibase
- Budibase Cloud starts at $299 a month; the page does not say whether that figure assumes annual billing.
- Cloud actions are a hard monthly limit with no overage billing, and a larger allowance means contacting sales.
- Extra creators cost $50 a month with annual billing or $60 monthly, and extra end users $5 or $6.
- The free Community edition has one workspace, a 1-day automation log and no synchronous webhooks or Budibase AI.
Key features
Appsmith
- Drag-and-drop UI
- Responsive interfaces assembled from widgets, with custom widgets written in JS, HTML and CSS.
- Data connections
- Connects to any LLM, database, SaaS tool, or REST or GraphQL API.
- JavaScript customization
- Business logic and data transformations are written in JavaScript, and external libraries can be imported.
- Git version control
- Apps are versioned with Git. The Business plan removes the repo limit, and Enterprise adds CI/CD from environment branches.
- Self-hosting
- The open-source edition runs on your own servers, so internal data stays inside your network.
Budibase
- App builder
- A drag-and-drop designer for end-user web apps that work with workspace data and automations.
- Automation builder
- Backend workflows are chained from triggers and action steps, with 20+ triggers and actions and synchronous webhooks on the Enterprise edition.
- Agent builder
- AI agents are set up with instructions, tools, models and knowledge sources, with tool calling and evals. The Community edition uses your own AI key.
- Data sources
- Budibase's own database can be used beside external data sources, which the pricing page lists as unlimited on both self-hosted editions.
- Self-hosting
- Runs on private cloud, on-premise and air-gapped setups, according to the homepage.
- Service portal
- Apps, requests and approvals can be gathered into one portal for internal users.
Plans
Appsmith
Community$0
The open-source edition, which you host yourself.
Free$0
Cloud plan for up to 5 users, with 5 workspaces, Git with 3 repos, Google SSO, 3 standard roles and public apps.
Business$15
per user / month, billing period not stated
Up to 99 users, with unlimited workspaces, environments and Git repos, workflows, reusable packages, custom roles, audit logs and removable Appsmith branding.
Enterprise$2,500
per month for 100 users
Sold through sales. Adds SAML and OIDC SSO, SCIM provisioning, CI/CD, private app embedding, and dedicated support with SLAs. Airgapped edition and managed hosting are add-ons.
Budibase
Community (self-managed)$0
Open-source edition you host yourself: unlimited users, apps, agents and automations, standard SSO and 1 workspace. No Budibase AI, but you can bring your own AI key.
CloudFrom $299
per month and up
Hosted by Budibase with 2 creators, 20 end users, 250K monthly actions and 50K monthly AI credits. Actions are a hard monthly limit; larger allowances are priced through sales.
Enterprise (self-managed)Custom
Custom package with unlimited users, creators and workspaces, audit logs, enterprise identity controls, air-gapped deployment options and dedicated support.
Ways to pay less
Appsmith
No public discounts listed.
Budibase
- Annual discount
Lower add-on prices with annual billing
Creator and end-user add-ons cost 20% more with monthly billing than with annual billing.
- Nonprofit
Charity pricing
A flexible pricing package for nonprofit teams, arranged through the contact form.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Appsmith or Budibase?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Appsmith starts at $15 per user / month, and Budibase starts at $299 per month and up (Budibase Cloud, billing basis not shown). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Appsmith or Budibase?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Appsmith and Budibase have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.