Best Self Hosted Alternatives to ToolJet Cloud

Appsmith is an open-source low-code platform for building internal applications such as admin panels, operational tools, and dashboards. It combines a drag-and-drop UI builder with database/API connectivity and JavaScript-based customization for developer-friendly control.

Key Features

• Drag-and-drop widgets to build responsive app interfaces
• Connectors for databases and REST/GraphQL APIs
• JavaScript for data transformation, app logic, and workflow automation
• Version control workflows with Git for change management and deployments
• Access controls and governance features such as roles/permissions and audit logging
• Enterprise authentication options including SSO (OIDC/SAML) and user provisioning support

Use Cases

• CRUD admin panels and back-office operations tools
• Business dashboards and reporting interfaces on top of existing data sources
• IT and service-management style internal apps with workflow automations

Limitations and Considerations

• Advanced features like SSO, provisioning, and governance may depend on the chosen edition and deployment configuration

Appsmith is a strong fit for teams that want to ship internal software faster without losing the ability to customize behavior in code. It’s especially useful when apps need to integrate multiple data sources and follow structured deployment workflows.

Windmill is an open-source developer platform for building internal tools, APIs, background jobs, and workflows by turning scripts into reusable building blocks. It provides auto-generated UIs, webhooks, and scheduling so teams can ship operational automation and apps quickly while keeping execution and access control on their own infrastructure.

Key Features

• Turn scripts into APIs, webhooks, scheduled jobs, and shareable auto-generated UIs
• Low-code workflow editor to compose scripts into multi-step flows
• App builder for creating richer internal UIs on top of scripts and workflows
• Multi-language script support (notably Python, TypeScript, Go, Bash, SQL, and GraphQL)
• Built-in secrets/variables management with workspace-level encryption for stored credentials
• Sandboxed execution using nsjail for stronger isolation in multi-tenant deployments
• Git-based development workflows via CLI and repository synchronization
• PostgreSQL-backed job orchestration with stateless API and scalable workers

Use Cases

• Building internal tools (admin panels, ops dashboards, backoffice utilities)
• Automating operational workflows (scheduled maintenance tasks, data syncs, incident runbooks)
• Exposing controlled internal APIs and webhooks backed by scripts

Limitations and Considerations

• Some distribution binaries/images may include non-open components; fully open-source builds come from compiling the repository sources
• Community Edition includes limits on certain enterprise features (for example, SSO user limits)

Windmill fits teams that want a script-first approach to internal tooling and automation with a fast workflow engine and a built-in UI layer. It combines developer-friendly coding with low-code composition to scale from quick scripts to production-grade orchestrated workflows.

Saltcorn is an extensible open-source no-code application builder for creating database-driven web and mobile apps. It provides a point-and-click interface to model data, build pages and views, and add behavior via actions and plugins.

Key Features

• No-code relational data modeling with tables, fields, and relationships
• Drag-and-drop page builder for composing forms, lists, and data views
• Extensible plugin system for adding datatypes, views, actions, and themes
• Supports PostgreSQL and SQLite backends for app data storage
• Can run as a single instance or in multi-tenant mode for hosting multiple apps
• Optional capabilities such as PDF generation and email features via plugins

Use Cases

• Internal tools such as CRUD apps, trackers, and lightweight admin panels
• Rapid prototyping of database-backed applications without custom code
• Simple business workflow automation built around structured data

Limitations and Considerations

• Multi-node mode requires PostgreSQL and shared filesystem access between nodes
• Some advanced features (for example, specialized views or integrations) may require installing and managing additional plugins

Saltcorn is a strong fit when you want a flexible, self-hostable no-code builder centered on structured data and extensibility. Its combination of relational modeling, visual UI building, and a plugin ecosystem makes it suitable for both prototypes and production applications.

Dashpress is a no-code admin app generator that turns your database schema into a fast, customizable admin dashboard. It helps teams create internal admin tools and CRUD panels quickly with minimal setup.

Key Features

• Generates admin apps from an existing database schema
• Ready-to-use admin UI for managing data (CRUD-style workflows)
• Customizable dashboards focused on performance and usability
• CLI-based setup to bootstrap a working admin app quickly
• Docker-friendly deployment option via an example Dockerfile

Use Cases

• Building internal admin panels for business operations teams
• Creating back-office CRUD tools for startups and small teams
• Rapidly prototyping admin dashboards on top of an existing database

Limitations and Considerations

• Best suited for database-driven admin workflows; highly bespoke UI/logic may require additional engineering outside the generator

Dashpress is a practical choice when you want to stand up an admin dashboard from an existing schema with minimal effort. It fits especially well for internal tooling where speed, maintainability, and a clean admin UI matter.

Lowcoder is an open-source low-code platform for building internal tools and customer-facing web applications with minimal coding. It provides a visual app builder, reusable modules, and broad data-source connectivity for rapidly creating production-ready UIs.

Key Features

• Visual UI builder with 120+ components for responsive, data-driven apps
• Native connections to common data sources (including SQL/NoSQL databases, REST APIs, and SMTP)
• JavaScript scripting to transform data and control component behavior
• Reusable building blocks via modules and a query library
• Role-based access control (RBAC) for users, groups, and permissions
• Version history with autosave and restore for iterative development
• Theme editor to standardize branding and styling across apps
• Extensible plugin architecture for custom components and integrations

Use Cases

• Build admin panels, dashboards, and internal operations tools connected to company data
• Create customer-facing portals and embedded “mini apps” for websites
• Rapidly modernize legacy workflows by adding new web UIs on top of existing systems

Limitations and Considerations

• Advanced collaboration and meeting-style experiences depend on specific components and may require additional configuration and infrastructure

Lowcoder suits teams that want a flexible, extensible app builder without being locked into proprietary low-code platforms. It is especially useful when you need both rapid UI development and direct control via JavaScript and data-source queries.

Kottster is an open-source, self-hosted admin panel for Node.js applications that lets you build an internal back office on top of an existing database. It generates editable pages for database tables, dashboards for metrics, and fully custom React pages when you need deeper control.

Key Features

• CLI to scaffold a new admin panel project quickly
• Table pages to browse, edit, and manage database records
• Dashboard pages with a visual builder for charts and metrics
• Custom pages built with React for advanced workflows and bespoke UI
• Built-in authentication and user management
• Access controls for who can view, edit, or delete data
• Stores configuration and generated code on your server rather than sending database content off-host

Use Cases

• Build an internal admin console for CRUD operations on production data
• Create lightweight operational dashboards for teams (metrics, charts, KPIs)
• Ship a customizable back office for SaaS apps without building one from scratch

Kottster is a good fit for teams that want a developer-friendly, code-owning admin panel: start with a visual builder and templates, then extend by editing the generated project when requirements grow.