The open source Firebase alternative with real-time PostgreSQL
Open-source foundation of ToolJet AI - the enterprise app generation platform for internal tools, dashboards, business applications, workflows and AI agents. Build visually, from a prompt, or from Claude Code, Codex and Cursor over MCP 🚀
Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing
Estimated Hosting: $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode)ToolJet vs Retool Comparison Matrix
| Evaluation Criteria | ToolJet (Open Source) | Retool (Proprietary) |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Seat Licensing | $0 / Unlimited team members | $50 / user / month on business tier |
| Extensibility | Custom plugins via Node.js marketplace | Proprietary custom component sandbox |
| Source Code Access | AGPL-3.0 open source on GitHub | Closed proprietary commercial code |
Financial Impact: Migrating from Retool to Self-Hosted ToolJet
* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages
* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance
Compare ToolJet Head-to-Head
Comprehensive benchmark comparing ToolJet against proprietary Retool licensing and features.
Enterprise Multi-Service PostgreSQL vs Single-Binary Go/SQLite
Open-Source Relational Postgres vs Google Proprietary NoSQL
Self-Hosted Zero-Config SQLite vs Google Pay-Per-Read NoSQL
Connect to Any Existing MySQL/PG vs Dedicated PostgreSQL Airtable Clone
Free Self-Hosted Internal GUI Builder vs $50/User/Month Retool Paywall
Core Capabilities & Features
Self-Host ToolJet with Docker Compose
Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:
1-Click Docker Compose Generator
Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.
Low-code platform for building enterprise internal business apps
version: '3.8'
services:
client:
image: tooljet/tooljet-client:latest
ports:
- "${PORT:-80}:80"
restart: unless-stoppedFrequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting ToolJet
How do I self-host ToolJet using Docker Compose?
You can deploy ToolJet (ToolJet/ToolJet) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.
How does ToolJet compare to Retool?
ToolJet is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Retool built with TypeScript, Node.js, React. Unlike Retool ($10 - $50 / user / month), ToolJet has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.
What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for ToolJet?
For production self-hosting (Medium difficulty tier), we recommend at least 4 GB RAM (minimum 2 GB), 2 vCPU, and 25 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode).
Is ToolJet free for commercial business use under the AGPL-3.0 license?
Yes. Distributed under the AGPL-3.0 license, ToolJet can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.
Embed Official ToolJet Badge in GitHub README
Served locally from OSSMatrix with Cloudflare global edge caching. Real-time verified alternative status, zero third-party dependencies, sub-5ms load time.
[](https://ossmatrix.com/project/tooljet)<a href="https://ossmatrix.com/project/tooljet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://ossmatrix.com/api/badge/tooljet" alt="ToolJet on OSSMatrix" /></a>Compare ToolJet with Other Self-Hosted Alternatives
The open-source Airtable alternative that turns any database into a smart spreadsheet
Open source backend in 1 single file with embedded SQLite
Complete Backend-as-a-Service for web, mobile, and flutter developers
Open source low-code framework to build internal tools and dashboards fast
The modern open data platform that instantly turns any SQL database into REST and GraphQL APIs