Appwrite vs Directus
Pricing
Appwrite: Free tier, paid from $25/mo
Directus: Free self-hosted, cloud from $15/mo
Description
Appwrite: Open-source backend-as-a-service platform with auth, database, storage, and serverless functions
Directus: Open-source headless CMS and backend-as-a-service that wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API
Pros
- Self-hostable with no limits on the free self-hosted version
- Built-in auth, database, storage, and functions in one platform
- SDKs for 10+ languages and frameworks
- Works with existing SQL databases without migration
- Visual admin panel for non-technical content management
- Self-hostable for free under MIT license
Cons
- Cloud free tier has limited resources
- Smaller ecosystem and community compared to Firebase or Supabase
- Revenue threshold requires a paid license for self-hosted (over $5M/yr)
- More CMS-oriented, less suited for complex application logic
Details
Appwrite is an open-source backend platform that provides authentication, databases, file storage, cloud functions, and messaging as a unified service. It can be self-hosted for free or used via Appwrite Cloud starting at $25/mo per project. A good fit for solo founders who want a Firebase-like experience with the option to own their infrastructure.
Directus is an open-source data platform that layers a real-time API and intuitive admin app on top of any SQL database. It supports REST and GraphQL out of the box, with granular role-based access control and built-in file storage. Ideal for solo founders who need a content backend with a visual dashboard, or who want to expose an existing database as an API without rewriting anything.
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