Mendix vs UI Bakery: comparing two low-code platforms for business apps
Teams evaluating low-code platforms for business applications often put Mendix and UI Bakery side by side, since both let you assemble working software visually instead of writing everything by hand. The two differ sharply in scale, pricing, and the kind of team they’re built for.
Here’s what each platform is, what it costs, and where Sticklight, a production-ready site and app generator built by the Elementor team, fits in if you also need a public-facing web presence.
- Mendix is a low-code platform from Siemens, built for department-level business applications and larger core systems. Pricing runs in euros, starting around €918 per month for a single app.
- UI Bakery focuses on internal tools, dashboards, admin panels, and customer portals. It has a free tier, with paid plans starting at $20 per developer per month.
- Both platforms offer a free tier. Mendix’s free plan requires no credit card, and UI Bakery’s free Cloud plan runs $0 per developer.
- UI Bakery ships with a hosted PostgreSQL database and 80+ prebuilt UI components, plus a self-hosted deployment option.
- Mendix’s Standard tier comes as either a single-app or unlimited-app license. Siemens states there’s no capability difference between the two beyond app count.
- Sticklight sits in a different category. It generates production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools from a prompt, and it’s additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor site rather than a replacement for a low-code builder.
What Mendix and UI Bakery are built for
Mendix is a low-code application development platform for department-level business applications and larger core systems. Siemens offers it, and it targets organizations that need to develop and govern multiple applications across teams, with cloud deployment plans priced in euros.
UI Bakery is a low-code platform for building web applications such as internal tools, dashboards, admin panels, and customer portals, using a drag-and-drop editor. It ships with a hosted PostgreSQL database and a visual table editor, connects to external databases, REST APIs, and third-party services, and supports both cloud and self-hosted deployment.
Mendix vs UI Bakery: pricing compared
Mendix’s free plan runs €0 per month, no credit card required. The Standard tier starts at €918 per month for a single application, or €2,295 per month for unlimited applications. Premium is quote-based and adds enterprise features Siemens describes as scaling, high availability, and fallback options.
UI Bakery’s Cloud plans start free at $0 per developer per month. The Builder plan runs $20 per developer per month billed annually ($25 billed monthly), and the Team plan runs $35 per developer per month billed annually ($40 billed monthly). Enterprise is custom-priced. UI Bakery also offers matching self-hosted tiers, including a free self-hosted option and a self-hosted Enterprise plan that lets you bring a customer-owned AI model.
Mendix vs UI Bakery at a glance
| Dimension | Mendix | UI Bakery | Sticklight |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Low-code platform for department-level and core business applications, from Siemens | Low-code platform for internal tools, dashboards, admin panels, and customer portals | Vibe-coding platform that turns a prompt into a production-ready website, app, dashboard, CMS, or internal tool |
| Output | Web and mobile business applications built visually | Web applications built with a drag-and-drop editor | Production-ready full-stack sites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and tools |
| Backend / data | Not detailed on the public pricing page | Hosted PostgreSQL database included, plus connections to external databases, REST APIs, and third-party services | Generated per project as part of the prompt-to-build flow |
| Publish / hosting | Cloud deployment through Mendix’s platform | Cloud hosting included, with a self-hosted option available | Publish is included in the Prompt, Build, Publish flow; additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor site |
| Best for | Larger organizations building and governing multiple business applications | Teams building internal tools and dashboards with a data-source-first approach | Professional web creators who want a full-stack, production-ready result from one prompt |
| Entry pricing | Free plan available; Standard starts at €918/month for one app | Free plan available; Builder starts at $20/developer/month (annual billing) | Additive to your WordPress/Elementor stack |
Where Sticklight fits in
Mendix and UI Bakery are both purpose-built for internal and business applications: dashboards, admin panels, portals, and core systems that sit behind a login. Sticklight covers broader ground from a single prompt: production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools, through a Prompt, Build, Publish flow that treats publishing as part of the process rather than a separate step.
Sticklight is built by the Elementor team and powered by Claude. It’s designed to be additive to WordPress and Elementor rather than a replacement, so if you’re already running a WordPress site, you can add a generated app or dashboard without moving off that stack. AI agents are coming soon on Sticklight’s roadmap, not a shipped feature today, so they’re not yet a basis for comparison.
If your need is strictly an internal admin panel or a governed multi-app business system, Mendix or UI Bakery remains the more direct fit. If you want a production-ready public site alongside an app, dashboard, or tool, generated from one prompt and published as part of the same flow, Sticklight is worth evaluating alongside them.
Which one should you choose?
Choosing between Mendix and UI Bakery mostly comes down to scale and budget. Mendix’s per-app-tier pricing and Siemens backing suit larger organizations governing several core business applications, where the Premium tier’s high-availability and fallback options matter. UI Bakery’s per-developer pricing and included database make it a lighter starting point if you’re a small team building one or two internal tools, with the option to self-host if that’s a requirement.
If your project also includes a public-facing website, CMS, or a tool that needs to be published rather than just deployed internally, it’s worth evaluating Sticklight as a complementary or alternative option, particularly if you’re already working in WordPress or Elementor.
Frequently asked questions
Which one is cheaper, Mendix or UI Bakery?
UI Bakery has a lower published entry price, at $20 per developer per month for its Builder plan, compared to Mendix’s Standard tier starting at €918 per month for a single application. The two are aimed at different scales, so pricing isn’t directly comparable without matching project size and team size.
Do Mendix and UI Bakery both offer free plans?
Yes. Mendix has a free plan at €0 per month with no credit card required. UI Bakery has a free Cloud plan at $0 per developer per month, plus a free self-hosted option.
Can I self-host UI Bakery?
Yes. UI Bakery offers self-hosted tiers alongside its cloud plans, including a free self-hosted option and a self-hosted Enterprise plan that supports bringing a customer-owned AI model.
Where does Sticklight fit in next to Mendix and UI Bakery?
Sticklight isn’t a direct substitute for either platform. It generates production-ready websites, apps, dashboards, CMS, and internal tools from a prompt and publishes them as part of the same flow. It’s additive to an existing WordPress or Elementor site rather than a standalone low-code business-app platform like Mendix or a dashboard-focused builder like UI Bakery.
Does Mendix’s Standard tier differ in capability between one app and unlimited apps?
No. Mendix’s own pricing page states there’s no technical or platform-capability difference between the One App and Unlimited Apps Standard tiers. The only difference is the number of applications covered.
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