Open Source Website Builders and App Builders in 2026

The leading open-source website builders in 2026 are WordPress with its Gutenberg block editor (for content sites), Webstudio and Silex (visual site builders), and GrapesJS and Puck (page-builder frameworks you embed in your own product). For apps rather than websites, the main open-source app builders are Appsmith, ToolJet, Budibase and NocoBase, all of which you can self-host with Docker. Check the license before you commit: several popular "open source" builders are actually source-available, with limits on commercial use.

Two different things: website builders and app builders

People search "open source builder" for two separate jobs:

• Website and page builders produce pages: marketing sites, landing pages, blogs. The output is HTML/CSS, often static.
• App builders (open-source low-code/no-code platforms) produce internal tools and business apps: admin panels, dashboards, forms and approval flows on top of a database or API.

The sections below cover each. If you're comparing hosted, closed-source platforms like Bubble or FlutterFlow, see our no-code and low-code platform comparison.

Open source website and page builders

License data and activity are from each project's GitHub repository, checked October 2026.

Project	License	What it is	Self-host
WordPress + Gutenberg	GPL-2.0-or-later	CMS with a block-based visual editor; runs a large share of the web	Any PHP + MySQL host
Webstudio	AGPL-3.0	Visual builder modeled on Webflow, with full CSS control	Hosted builder, or export and deploy the site yourself
Silex	AGPL-3.0	Free/libre drag-and-drop builder for static sites	Yes, Node.js
GrapesJS	BSD-3-Clause	JavaScript framework for building your own drag-and-drop page or email builder	Embeds in your app
Puck	MIT	Visual editor for React; editors drag your own components	Embeds in your React/Next.js app
Onlook	Apache-2.0	Visual editor for Next.js + Tailwind code, with AI	Yes

How to choose among them:

• You need a site you can edit, with a blog, today: WordPress. Gutenberg gives you drag-and-drop blocks and full-site editing, and the plugin and theme ecosystem is unmatched. You still have to keep it updated and secured.
• You're a designer who wants Webflow-style control without Webflow's lock-in: Webstudio. It exposes real CSS concepts (flexbox, grid, classes) and lets you export the site and host it yourself (Webstudio docs).
• You're building a SaaS product that needs a page builder inside it (a landing page tool, an email editor, a CMS for clients): GrapesJS if you want a framework-agnostic, HTML-based editor, Puck if your app is React and you want editors to use your design-system components.
• You want a lightweight static site with no server: Silex.

Example: a drag-and-drop page builder in React with Puck

Puck stores pages as JSON and renders them with components you define, so editors can only use blocks you allow. Install it with npm i @puckeditor/core, then:

import { Puck, Render } from "@puckeditor/core";

const config = {
  components: {
    HeadingBlock: {
      fields: { children: { type: "text" } },
      render: ({ children }) => <h1>{children}</h1>,
    },
  },
};

// Editor page: editors drag blocks and click Publish
export function Editor({ data, onSave }) {
  return <Puck config={config} data={data} onPublish={onSave} />;
}

// Public page: render the saved JSON
export function Page({ data }) {
  return <Render config={config} data={data} />;
}

Save the JSON that onPublish receives to your database, and pass it back to <Render> on the public route (Puck docs). The same pattern, with an HTML/CSS output instead of JSON, is what GrapesJS gives you. More visual editors are listed in DevHunt's visual editing category.

Open source app builders (low-code / no-code)

Project	License	GitHub stars (Oct 2026)	Good at
Appsmith	Apache-2.0	~41k	Internal tools on SQL databases and REST/GraphQL APIs, Git version control
ToolJet	AGPL-3.0	~41k	Internal tools plus workflows; built-in database
Budibase	GPL-3.0 overall; paid features under BSL	~28k	Forms, approval apps and portals with a built-in database
NocoBase	Apache-2.0 plus supplementary terms	~25k	Data-model-driven business apps (CRM, ERP), plugin architecture
Lowcoder	AGPL-3.0	~1.6k	Retool-style apps; a community fork of Openblocks

Notes from the licenses themselves:

• Appsmith is the most permissive of the group (Apache-2.0). Its free cloud plan covers up to 5 users, and the self-hosted Community Edition is free. The paid Business plan is $15 per user per month (Appsmith pricing).
• ToolJet's AGPL-3.0 license is fine for internal use. If you modify ToolJet and offer it to others over a network, you must publish your changes.
• Budibase says it can be considered GPLv3 overall, and that apps you build with it don't include GPL code. Paid features live in a separate package under the Business Source License.
• NocoBase uses its own license agreement that incorporates Apache-2.0, with supplementary terms that take precedence. Read it if you plan to resell.

For a head-to-head of the two biggest projects, see Appsmith vs ToolJet. If you're mainly trying to get off Retool's per-seat pricing, see the free Retool alternatives.

Watch out for "source-available" tools

Two projects that often appear in "open source no-code" lists aren't OSI open source today:

• NocoDB (an Airtable-style database UI) uses the Sustainable Use License (license).
• Directus (a data platform and headless CMS) uses the Monospace Sustainable Core License. It allows internal use and services, but forbids offering Directus as a competing commercial product. Each version also becomes available under GPL-3.0 four years after its release (license).

Both are fine for most internal uses, and you can still self-host them. But don't promise a client "it's open source, you can do anything with it" without reading the terms.

Self-host an open source app builder in five minutes

Appsmith's Community Edition runs as a single Docker container (Appsmith docs). Create docker-compose.yml, pinning a current version tag from the docs:

services:
  appsmith:
    image: index.docker.io/appsmith/appsmith-ce:v1.98
    container_name: appsmith
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./stacks:/appsmith-stacks
    restart: unless-stopped

Then:

docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost (startup can take a few minutes), create the admin account, and connect a data source: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, a REST API or Google Sheets. All data and configuration live in ./stacks, so back up that folder. ToolJet and Budibase have similar Docker Compose setups in their docs.

For production, put it behind HTTPS on your own domain, restrict sign-ups to your company's email domain, and keep the image updated. Self-hosting moves the security work from the vendor to you.

Open source vs hosted builders: the trade-offs

What you gain:

• No per-seat fees on the self-hosted community editions, which matters most for internal tools with many viewers.
• Data stays on your servers, which helps with GDPR, HIPAA or customer contracts.
• No lock-in: if the company behind the project changes direction, the code and your data are still yours.

What you give up:

• Ops work: updates, backups, uptime, and security patches are yours.
• Enterprise features such as SSO, audit logs and granular permissions are usually in paid editions, even for open-source projects.
• Polish: hosted platforms like Webflow and Bubble still have smoother editors and more templates.

To find more projects, browse DevHunt's open source tools and CMS tools.

FAQ

What is the best open source website builder?

For a content site or blog, WordPress with Gutenberg. For a designer-led marketing site, Webstudio. For embedding a page builder in your own product, GrapesJS (any stack) or Puck (React). For a simple static site, Silex.

Is there a free open source no-code app builder?

Yes. Appsmith (Apache-2.0), ToolJet (AGPL-3.0), Budibase (GPL-3.0) and NocoBase all have free self-hosted editions you can run with Docker. Paid tiers add SSO, audit logs and support.

Is there an open source alternative to Webflow?

Webstudio is the closest: a visual builder with Webflow-style CSS controls, licensed AGPL-3.0, with site export. Silex is a simpler free option for static sites.

Is there an open source drag-and-drop website builder I can embed?

GrapesJS (BSD-3-Clause) is a framework for building your own drag-and-drop page or email editor. Puck (MIT) does the same for React apps, using your own components as blocks.

Can I use open source app builders commercially?

Yes for Appsmith (Apache-2.0) and generally for GPL/AGPL projects when you use them internally or build apps with them. AGPL requires publishing your changes if you modify the builder and offer it to others over a network. NocoDB and Directus are source-available and restrict some commercial uses, so read their licenses first.