Vaadin is the best vaadin alternative for most Java teams that want to stay in Java, because its core framework is free under Apache 2.0 for commercial use, while Jmix is the closest full-stack step up for data-heavy business apps. Retool is the best choice for internal tools built on existing databases and APIs, and Appsmith is the best open source choice in that same group, with Business at $15 per user per month. Mendix is the most expensive entry point in this list, at $1,090 per month for Standard One App, so it fits department-wide apps better than a single small tool.
Vaadin lets Java developers build web interfaces in Java, with no separate frontend code for standard apps. The alternatives split into two groups. Jmix keeps the Java and Spring Boot route, while Retool, Appsmith, Budibase, ToolJet, Mendix, and OutSystems trade Java code for visual builders, data connectors, and hosted runtimes. Pick the Java route when code ownership matters most, and pick a visual builder when speed matters more.
On this page
Vaadin alternatives: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaadin | Java teams staying with Vaadin | $0 for Free plan | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Jmix | Java teams building data-heavy business apps on Spring Boot | $119 per developer/month | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | Retool | Teams building internal tools on databases and APIs | $10 per builder/month | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | Appsmith | Engineering teams wanting open source internal tools | $15 per user/month | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | Mendix | Departments building business apps with model-driven tools | $1,090 per month for Standard One App | Yes | Visit |
| 6 | Budibase | Teams wanting self-hosted open source with a managed cloud option | $299 per month for Cloud | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | ToolJet | Teams building internal apps with AI credits per builder | $79 per builder/month | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | OutSystems | Enterprises building large low-code app portfolios | quote only | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best vaadin alternatives, in detail
Vaadin
Best for: Java teams staying with Vaadin
Vaadin stays in this list because its core framework is free and open source under Apache 2.0, with free use for commercial projects. The pricing page states that the framework and core UI components need no license, and that Control Center is proprietary but most of its functions are free on the Free plan. Pro is aimed at data-rich apps and automated UI testing, and it adds commercial UI components plus TestBench for UI unit tests and cross-browser end-to-end tests.
- Enterprise Edition is aimed at an organization that depends on a Vaadin app long term, with long-term maintenance and security and compliance assuranc
- It is licensed per application per year, with unlimited developers.
- Choose Vaadin when you want Java-only UI work and a free core.
Pros
- Free Apache 2.0 core for commercial use
- Pro adds Charts, Dashboard, Maps, CRUD, and TestBench
Cons
- Pro price is not shown on the pricing page, so a request for pricing is needed
- Enterprise Edition is licensed per application per year
Jmix
Best for: Java teams building data-heavy business apps on Spring Boot
Jmix is the closest Java alternative to Vaadin, and it builds on Vaadin for the frontend UI, with Spring Boot on the backend. Jmix adds a full-stack platform, data modeling, security, and Studio tooling around that UI layer. The Community plan is free forever and includes the open source framework, full-stack Java and Kotlin, core Studio tools, model-driven UI, built-in security, and more than 50 free add-ons.
- Sprint costs $119 per developer per month when billed monthly, or $1,149 per developer annually, and it adds advanced Studio tools, deterministic code
- Sprint is free for small projects with up to 10 entities and 10 roles.
- Enterprise costs $1,449 per developer annually, annual only, and adds advanced UI features and advanced security options.
- Choose Jmix when you want a guided full-stack Java platform.
Pros
- Community plan is free forever
- Sprint is free for small projects with up to 10 entities and 10 roles
- no runtime fees for end users
Cons
- Enterprise is $1,449 per developer annually, annual only
- BPM is $1,930 per developer annually, annual only
Retool
Best for: Teams building internal tools on databases and APIs
Retool is a low-code builder for internal apps, workflows, and portals that connect to databases and APIs. It splits users into builders, who create and edit apps, and internal users, who use apps without editing them. Team is $10 per builder per month and $5 per internal user per month when billed annually, or $12 and $7 when billed monthly.
- Business is $50 per builder and $15 per internal user per month when billed annually.
- The Free plan covers up to 5 users, with 250 pooled AI credits per month, Retool Cloud, and production only.
- Team adds staging and production, plus 1,000 pooled AI credits per month.
- Business adds unlimited environments, audit logs, rich permissions, and external users, with the first 50 external users at no cost and tiered rates a
Pros
- Free plan covers up to 5 users with 250 pooled AI credits per month
- Team adds staging, production, and versioning
Cons
- Business is $50 per builder and $15 per internal user per month billed annually
- self-hosting is an Enterprise feature with custom pricing
Appsmith
Best for: Engineering teams wanting open source internal tools
Appsmith is an open source low-code platform for internal tools, dashboards, admin panels, and CRUD apps, with a visual builder, JavaScript bindings, and connectors for databases and REST APIs. It charges one rate per user. The Free plan is $0, with up to 5 users for cloud, 5 workspaces, version control with Git for 3 repos, Google SSO, 3 standard roles, shared apps, and community support.
- Business is $15 per user per month, with up to 99 users, unlimited environments, Git repos, and workspaces, plus workflows, reusable packages, premium
- Enterprise is $2,500 per month for 100 users, with SAML and OIDC SSO, SCIM, CI/CD, private app embedding, and dedicated support.
- A user is any member added to a workspace, and members present at any point in the billing cycle are billed for the full month.
- Choose Appsmith when you want flat per-user pricing.
Pros
- Free plan covers up to 5 cloud users, 5 workspaces, and 3 Git repos
- Business allows up to 99 users with unlimited workspaces and Git repos
Cons
- Enterprise is $2,500 per month for 100 users, which is $25 per user
- any workspace member counts as a billable user for the full month
Mendix
Best for: Departments building business apps with model-driven tools
Mendix is a low-code platform for building, running, and coordinating business apps, with model-driven development, collaboration tools, and deployment on Mendix Cloud, Azure, Kubernetes, SAP BTP, or a server. The Free plan is $0 per month, with one deployment environment per application and unlimited users, but no product support or guaranteed availability. Mendix does not charge for anonymous users, and does not charge for developers making apps.
- Standard One App starts at $1,090 per month, with up to 3 environments per app, Standard support from 9 AM to 5 PM, and a 99.5% uptime guarantee.
- Standard Unlimited Apps starts at $2,725 per month, with the same environment cap, support hours, and uptime guarantee.
- Mendix states that there is no technical difference in platform capability between One App and Unlimited Apps, so the choice is about how many apps yo
- Premium is by quote, with Premium support 24/7 and a 99.95% uptime guarantee.
Pros
- Free plan is $0 with one deployment environment per app and unlimited users
- Standard allows up to 3 environments per app with a 99.5% uptime guarantee
Cons
- Standard Unlimited Apps is $2,725 per month
- cloud compute resources are not included in the license price
Budibase
Best for: Teams wanting self-hosted open source with a managed cloud option
Budibase is an open source platform for building internal apps, workflows, and AI agents, with Budibase DB, external data sources, REST APIs, and a visual screen builder. The Community plan is $0, for a complete platform you run on your own infrastructure, with unlimited users, unlimited apps, agents, automations, and requests, plus standard SSO. Budibase Cloud starts from $299 per month, with hosting, updates, and maintenance managed by Budibase, plus unlimited apps, agents, automations, and requests, 2 creators, 20 end users, 250K monthly actions, and 50K monthly AI credits.
- Actions are hard monthly limits, so when you reach the limit you need a higher-capacity package.
- Extra creators cost $50 each per month with annual billing, or $60 with monthly billing.
- Extra end users cost $5 each per month with annual billing, or $6 with monthly billing.
- Choose Budibase when you want open source self-hosting.
Pros
- Community is $0 with unlimited users, apps, agents, automations, and requests
- Cloud includes 2 creators, 20 end users, 250K monthly actions, and 50K monthly AI credits
Cons
- Actions are hard monthly limits, with no overage billing
- extra creators cost $50 each per month with annual billing, and extra end users cost $5 each per month
ToolJet
Best for: Teams building internal apps with AI credits per builder
ToolJet is an open source platform for building internal tools and business apps, with a drag-and-drop builder, more than 80 components, workflows, and AI app generation. It bills per builder, and includes end users up to the plan limit. The Free plan is $0 per builder per month, with 2 builders, up to 50 end users, up to 10 apps, 100 AI credits, predefined user roles, and community support through Slack.
- Pro is $79 per builder per month, with 20% saved on annual billing, and it adds custom styling, version control, and email support, with 2,000 AI cred
- Team is $199 per builder per month billed annually, with unlimited apps, up to 100 end users, 3,000 AI credits per builder, SSO integration, custom us
- Add-on AI credits are $1 per 100 credits.
- Choose ToolJet when builder-only billing fits your team.
Pros
- Free plan is $0 with 2 builders, up to 50 end users, up to 10 apps, and 100 AI credits
- Pro adds custom styling, version control, and email support
Cons
- Team is $199 per builder/month billed annually for SSO, audit logs, and Git sync
- Free and Pro cap end users at 50
OutSystems
Best for: Enterprises building large low-code app portfolios
OutSystems is a low-code platform for building enterprise apps, with visual development, AI agents, and deployment on OutSystems Cloud, on-premises, or hybrid models. The key fact for a buyer is that OutSystems no longer shows a starting price for Developer Cloud on its live pricing page, and the page routes prospects to a get-an-estimate flow. The Personal Edition is free for learning and experimentation, with development and testing use only, no production deployment, and no uptime guarantee.
- A starting Developer Cloud subscription, as described in vendor and third-party material, includes 3 runtimes, 100 internal users to start, OutSystems
- Choose OutSystems when you need an enterprise low-code portfolio.
Pros
- Personal Edition is free for learning and experimentation
- Developer Cloud includes 3 runtimes for development, test, and production
Cons
- Developer Cloud price is not shown on the live pricing page, so a quote is required
- Personal Edition is not for production use
How we chose
We chose tools that replace Vaadin as a Java full-stack platform or as a visual low-code builder for business and internal apps. Each tool had to be a real product with an official homepage and an official pricing page opened on 2026-11-12, or a clear quote-only page. Prices and plan limits come from those official vendor pricing pages and docs opened today. We did not test any tool hands-on. We did not use customer counts, awards, or review scores to rank items. When a vendor hid the price, we wrote quote only, as we did for OutSystems Developer Cloud.
Pick by team size and budget
| Situation | Best pick | Cost to start |
|---|---|---|
| Java team, free core, no new platform | Vaadin | $0 for Free plan |
| Java team, full-stack platform, 1 developer | Jmix Sprint | $119 per developer/month (billed monthly) |
| Small ops team, 2 builders and 25 users | Retool Team | $145 per month (billed annually) |
| Engineering team, 10 users, flat rate | Appsmith Business | $150 per month |
| Department, 1 app, governed rollout | Mendix Standard One App | $1,090 per month |
| Self-hosted team, unlimited users | Budibase Community | $0 |
| Small team, AI builder, 2 builders | ToolJet Free | $0 |
| Enterprise portfolio, quote needed | OutSystems Developer Cloud | quote only |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Vaadin alternative for a Java team?
Vaadin itself is the best choice for a Java team that wants to stay in Java, because the core is free under Apache 2.0 for commercial use. Jmix is the best step up for a full-stack Spring Boot platform, starting at $119 per developer per month billed monthly.
How much does Vaadin cost?
Vaadin Free is $0, with the framework and core UI components free for commercial use under Apache 2.0. Pro adds commercial components and TestBench, but its price is not shown on the pricing page, so you need to request pricing. Enterprise Edition is licensed per application per year, with unlimited developers.
Which Vaadin alternative is cheapest for internal tools?
Appsmith, Budibase, and ToolJet all have $0 free plans, so the cheapest start is $0. For a team of 10 users, Appsmith Business is $150 per month at $15 per user, while Retool Team for 2 builders and 8 internal users is $60 per month at $10 per builder and $5 per internal user billed annually.
Is Mendix or OutSystems better for enterprise apps?
Mendix is better when you want a shown entry price, at $1,090 per month for Standard One App, with up to 3 environments per app. OutSystems is better when you need a large low-code portfolio with 3 runtimes and compliance options, but its Developer Cloud price is quote only, so you cannot budget it from a shown price.
Do I need to write Java to use these alternatives?
No, not for most of them. Vaadin and Jmix are Java-first, with UI code in Java and Spring Boot on the backend. Retool, Appsmith, Budibase, ToolJet, Mendix, and OutSystems use visual builders and data connectors, so a team can build internal apps without writing Java for every screen.
What happened to OutSystems pricing?
OutSystems no longer shows a starting price for Developer Cloud on its live pricing page, and the page routes prospects to a get-an-estimate flow. Use a quote for any production budget.
Sources
- https://vaadin.com/
- https://vaadin.com/pricing
- https://jmix.io/
- https://www.jmix.io/subscription-plans-and-prices/
- https://retool.com/
- https://retool.com/pricing
- https://www.appsmith.com/
- https://www.appsmith.com/pricing
- https://www.mendix.com/
- https://www.mendix.com/pricing/mendix-basic-package/
- https://budibase.com/
- https://budibase.com/pricing/
- https://tooljet.com/
- https://tooljet.com/pricing
- https://www.outsystems.com/
- https://www.outsystems.com/pricing/
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.