Mendix vs Budibase: a factual pricing and feature comparison
Mendix and Budibase both show up on the same low-code shortlist, but they’re built for different scales of team, budget, and governance need. Both let you assemble internal apps and workflow tools with less hand-written code than a traditional development stack.
Here’s what each platform actually is, what it costs according to its own pricing page, and where a third option, Sticklight, fits if your priority is production-ready web output rather than internal business tooling.
- Mendix is a low-code application platform from Siemens built for department-level business applications and larger core systems.
- Budibase is a low-code platform for building business web applications and automations on an internal or external data model.
- Mendix pricing starts at a free tier (€0/month, no credit card required) and scales to Standard plans starting at €918/month for one app or €2,295/month for unlimited apps, with a custom-quoted Premium tier.
- Budibase pricing starts with a free, self-hosted open-source option and moves through paid cloud tiers at $19/month, $49/month, and $299/month, priced by monthly action volume rather than app count.
- Budibase includes a built-in data source called Budibase DB plus connections to external SQL databases and REST APIs. Mendix’s official pricing page shows no capability difference between its One App and Unlimited App tiers, with the number of covered apps as the sole distinction.
- Sticklight is a different category of tool: a vibe-coding platform that turns a prompt into production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools, built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude.
What Mendix is
Mendix is a low-code application development platform from Siemens, used to build department-level business applications and larger core systems. It gives you a visual, low-code development environment for both web and mobile applications. Its official pricing page separates plans mainly by the number of applications you can run rather than by feature access: the One App and Unlimited App Standard tiers carry no stated technical or capability difference between them. The Premium tier adds enterprise features that Mendix describes as scaling, high-availability, and fallback options, and cloud deployment plans are priced in euros.
What Budibase is
Budibase is a low-code platform for building business web applications and automations that run on an internal data model or on connected external data sources. It ships with a built-in data source called Budibase DB, alongside support for external SQL databases and REST APIs. Row-limit caps scale by plan, from tens of thousands of rows on lower tiers up to 500,000 on higher cloud tiers, with no stated limit on enterprise or the open-source edition. Paid tiers include monthly AI credit allotments and support for building AI agents with configurable instructions and tools. Budibase also ships a separate self-hosted open-source edition apart from its cloud plans, and single sign-on becomes available starting on its Premium plan.
Mendix vs Budibase at a glance
| Dimension | Mendix | Budibase | Sticklight |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Low-code platform (Siemens) for department-level business apps and larger core systems | Low-code platform for business web apps and automations | Vibe-coding platform for professional web creators; a prompt becomes production-ready output |
| Output | Web and mobile business applications | Business web applications and automations | Websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, booking systems, internal tools, and forms |
| Backend / data | Platform-managed, low-code development environment | Built-in Budibase DB plus external SQL databases and REST APIs | Database-backed apps and tools generated as part of the build |
| Publish / hosting | Cloud deployment through Mendix’s own platform | Cloud or self-hosted deployment (open-source edition available) | Publish included: custom domain connection, app hosting, built-in SEO, and a security scan on every build |
| Best for | Larger organizations building governed core systems across multiple apps | Teams building internal tools and automations with usage-based pricing | Professional web creators, agencies, and studios shipping client and product work |
| Entry pricing | Free (€0/month), Standard from €918/month | Free (self-hosted, open source), Pro at $19/month | Additive to your WordPress/Elementor stack; pricing scales with seats and features, not stated in dollar figures here |
Where Mendix and Budibase differ
The two platforms sit at different points on the low-code spectrum. Mendix’s own pricing structure is built around app count and enterprise scale: a free tier to start, then a jump to Standard plans priced per month in the hundreds to thousands of euros depending on whether you need one application or unlimited applications, plus a custom Premium tier for high-availability and fallback needs. That structure points toward larger organizations running multiple governed applications under one contract.
Budibase’s pricing is usage-based rather than app-based. Its paid tiers are defined by a monthly action allotment, from 5,000 to 10,000 actions on the Pro plan up to 250,000 actions on the Business plan, with custom enterprise pricing above that on both cloud and self-hosted deployments. Budibase also offers a genuinely free, self-hosted, open-source edition for a single workspace, a deployment option Mendix’s pricing page doesn’t list. If you want to run your own infrastructure rather than a vendor’s cloud, that’s a meaningful structural difference, separate from either platform’s list price.
Where Sticklight fits in
Mendix and Budibase both solve for internal, department-facing business applications: dashboards, workflow tools, and data-driven forms that run largely inside an organization. Sticklight solves a different problem. It’s a vibe-coding platform for professional web creators, built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude, that turns a prompt into production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools, then publishes them. Its three pillars are prompt, build, and publish, and publishing includes a custom domain connection, app hosting, built-in SEO, and a security scan on every build.
If you’re a professional creator, agency, or studio whose output is public-facing web work rather than an internal department tool, that full prompt-to-published flow on one platform is the practical differentiator against low-code builders aimed at internal business apps. Sticklight is additive to an existing WordPress and Elementor workflow rather than a replacement for it, which matters if you’re already operating in that ecosystem. It’s not a direct substitute for Mendix’s or Budibase’s internal-app tooling, and it’s worth being clear about that: choose Mendix or Budibase for governed, data-heavy internal systems, and consider Sticklight when the deliverable is a production website, app, dashboard, or client-facing tool that needs to ship and publish from a single prompt-first flow.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the main difference between Mendix and Budibase?
Mendix is a Siemens-owned low-code platform built for department-level business applications and larger core systems, priced mainly by app count. Budibase is a low-code platform for business web apps and automations, priced by monthly action volume, with a free self-hosted open-source edition available.
Is Budibase cheaper than Mendix?
Yes, based on published list pricing. Budibase’s entry paid tier, Pro, is listed at $19/month, and it also offers a free self-hosted open-source option. Mendix’s free tier is €0/month, and its first paid Standard tier starts at €918/month for one app. The two aren’t measuring the same unit though: Mendix bills per app coverage, Budibase bills per action volume.
Can I self-host Mendix or Budibase?
You can self-host Budibase. It offers a self-hosted open-source edition alongside its cloud plans, plus a self-hosted Enterprise tier. Mendix’s published pricing page lists cloud deployment plans and doesn’t list a self-hosted tier.
Where does Sticklight fit into a Mendix vs Budibase comparison?
Sticklight isn’t a direct alternative to either platform. It’s a vibe-coding platform for professional web creators that turns a prompt into production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools, then publishes them, built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude. It fits when your goal is public-facing, client-ready web output rather than an internal department application.
Can I try Mendix or Budibase for free?
Yes. Mendix lists a Free plan at €0/month with no credit card required. Budibase offers a free, self-hosted, open-source edition for a single workspace.
Built by the Elementor team. Powered by Claude.
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