Budibase vs UI Bakery (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, UI Bakery grades higher than Budibase: 2.6 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
UI Bakery grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Budibase
Open-source platform for internal apps, automations and AI agents
Which one is for you
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
Pick UI Bakery if
- Fits if you build admin panels over your own databases
- Works for small teams that want to self-host
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add developers: anyone who edits counts as one
- Watch out: app export, environments and roles start at Builder, and role-based access and audit logs need Team
- Watch out: AI use beyond the included credits isn't priced on the page
- Tight if you stay free: AI is a trial allowance only
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABudibaseFair | 2.6GPAUI BakeryGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$20 per developer a month billed yearly, the category's middle. Team is $35 and AI use beyond the included credits isn't priced. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BFree: unlimited apps, data sources, a hosted database and monthly AI trial credits. A person can live on that. |
| Features | 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. | B80+ components, an AI agent, 45+ data connections, workflows, Git and React code export. The listing shows no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CA web builder where the work is building the apps themselves. No store rating on record. | CNo store rating on record. A web builder where you connect data and build the screens. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations beyond its data sources. | BWeb or self-hosted, connecting to 45+ databases and APIs. |
| Best for | internal apps and automations, self-hosted | internal tools with a visual builder and AI agent |
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: Budibase and UI Bakery. How we grade
Price against what you get
Budibase starts at $299 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. UI Bakery starts at $20 a month and scores 2.7.
UI Bakery scores higher and starts $279 a month lower. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 29 score higher than Budibase for less, and 6 score higher than UI Bakery 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 is open source, according to its own site.
- Budibase also covers AI agents and no-code.
At a glance
| Budibase | UI Bakery | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $299 per month and up (Budibase Cloud, billing basis not shown) | $20 per developer / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Community edition: free to self-host, with unlimited users, apps, agents and automations. | Unlimited apps and data source connections, public and private apps, unlimited public app users, a hosted database and monthly AI trial credits. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Budibase Cloud | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Budibase, Inc. | UI Bakery |
| Price read from | budibase.com | uibakery.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
UI Bakery
- Pricing is per developer, meaning anyone with permission to edit apps, automations or data sources.
- App export, environments and built-in roles start on Builder; RBAC and audit logs need Team.
- AI usage beyond each plan's included credits is not priced on the page.
- Self-hosted plans have their own list: Free at $0 and Team at $35 per developer a month billed annually ($40 monthly).
Key features
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.
UI Bakery
- Drag-and-drop builder
- A WYSIWYG editor with 80+ ready-made components for apps built on top of your data.
- AI development agent
- An agent that generates and deploys an app from a chat prompt; AI usage is drawn from credits included in each plan.
- Data connections
- Connects to 45+ databases and APIs, and a hosted PostgreSQL database is available for prototypes.
- Workflow automations
- Scheduled jobs and webhooks, plus Git version control for collaborating and deploying across instances.
- Self-hosting and code export
- Cloud or self-hosted installs, with React code export so apps are not locked in.
Plans
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.
UI Bakery
Free$0
per developer / month
Unlimited apps and data sources, release history, hosted database, community support and monthly AI trial credits.
Builder$20
per developer / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
Adds $25 of AI usage credits, app and data source environments, app export, built-in roles and up to 50 workspace view seats.
Team$35
per developer / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly)
Adds $40 of AI usage credits, role-based access control, audit logs and premium support.
EnterpriseCustom
More than 50 workspace view seats, custom SSO, a dedicated VM, and app migration and custom development services.
Ways to pay less
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.
UI Bakery
- Annual discount
20% off Builder, 12.5% off Team with annual billing
The pricing page labels annual billing as 20% off on Builder and 12.5% off on Team compared with monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Budibase or UI Bakery?
As of Nov 13, 2026, UI Bakery is cheaper to start with: $20 a month, against $299 a month for Budibase. Budibase starts at $299 per month and up (Budibase Cloud, billing basis not shown), and UI Bakery starts at $20 per developer / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Budibase or UI Bakery?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Budibase and UI Bakery 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.