Budibase review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source platform for internal apps, automations and AI agents
Black Friday: is there a Budibase sale?
Budibase report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for internal apps and automations, self-hosted
Budibase is an open-source platform for internal apps, automations and AI agents, free to self-host with unlimited users. But free means running a server, the hosted Cloud plan starts at $299 a month with a hard monthly action limit, and the free edition has one workspace.
Who Budibase is for
- 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
Who Budibase is not for
- 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
Why Budibase gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneyCloud 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.
- BFree plan and trialThe 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.
- BFeaturesApp, automation and agent builders, data sources, a service portal and self-hosting. No gap shows in the job, only limits on the free edition.
- CEase of useA web builder where the work is building the apps themselves. No store rating on record.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, and the listing names no integrations beyond its data sources.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Budibase's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Budibase? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/budibase#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/budibase.svg" alt="Budibase: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Budibase stands among AI app builders
Budibase's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 23 of the 89 other AI app builders we grade, and level with 27.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 72 of 89) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $299 a month, against a middle price of $20 for the category: 81 of the 82 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 29 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 90 AI app builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Budibase’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 89, level with 18
- BFree plan and trialAbove 72 of 89, level with 15
- BFeaturesAbove 64 of 89, level with 23
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 89, level with 68
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 89, level with 28
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 85 AI app builders. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Budibase, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Budibase you would be making a tool that builds and hosts other apps. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 39 of the 89 other AI app builders grade higher. It costs $3,588 a year. Budibase is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- A tool that builds and hosts other apps.
- A builder that other people can use without writing code.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Budibase’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Budibase?
Budibase is an open-source platform for building internal apps, automations and AI agents around business processes. It can be self-hosted for free or run on Budibase Cloud, where the price follows monthly action allowances and the number of creators and end users rather than a per-seat rate alone.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Budibase pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Budibase has a free plan, and paid plans start at $299 per month and up (Budibase Cloud, billing basis not shown).
- Starts at
- $299 per month and up (Budibase Cloud, billing basis not shown)
- Free plan
- Community edition: free to self-host, with unlimited users, apps, agents and automations.
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of Budibase Cloud
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| Cloud | From $299per 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. |
Read from budibase.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Budibase before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountLower add-on prices with annual billing
Creator and end-user add-ons cost 20% more with monthly billing than with annual billing.
Stated on budibase.com - NonprofitCharity pricing
A flexible pricing package for nonprofit teams, arranged through the contact form.
Stated on budibase.com
Budibase alternatives
- Budibase vs Appsmith
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Budibase vs Retool
Free plan · from $10/mo
- Budibase vs Superblocks
Free trial · from $100/mo
- Budibase vs UI Bakery
Free plan · from $20/mo
- Budibase vs ToolJet
Free plan · from $23/mo
Common questions
Does Budibase have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Budibase is listed for Web.
Does Budibase have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Budibase is listed for Web.
Is Budibase open source?
Yes. Budibase is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Budibase have an API?
Yes. Budibase offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.