6 free alternatives to Mendix

UI Bakery's free tier is built for internal tools and admin-style apps, and it stays generous on the basics: unlimited apps and data source connections, public and private apps, unlimited public app users, a hosted database, release history, built-in roles, app export, app and data source environments, and community support. It also includes monthly AI trial credits. Compared with Mendix, it gives you far more freedom to spin up multiple apps and connect many data sources. It falls short on Mendix's enterprise app-platform depth and broader deployment focus. Switch if your main need is unlimited low-code internal tooling rather than a single governed app.

• Beats Mendix: Unlimited apps and data source connections.
• Falls short: Less enterprise application-platform breadth than Mendix.
• Who should switch: Switch here if you want to build many internal tools and dashboards without bumping into a one-app cap.

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Gigalixir's free tier is focused on hosting a real app, not a design studio: you get 1 app replica with 0.5 GB memory, a free PostgreSQL database limited to 10,000 rows and 2 concurrent connections, custom domains and SSL, and zero-downtime deploys. That makes it attractive if you already have an app and want a simple deployment path. It beats Mendix on the presence of custom domains and SSL in the free tier. It falls short badly on app-building features, low-code modeling, and the broader platform capabilities Mendix offers. Switch if deployment and database hosting matter more than visual app creation.

• Beats Mendix: Custom domains and SSL.
• Falls short: Far less app-building and orchestration capability than Mendix.
• Who should switch: Switch here if you want a small production deployment path for an app you already have.

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OutSystems gives you a free version for building and deploying web and mobile applications, with most of the features needed to create full-fledged apps. The free edition includes visual development, templates, drag-and-drop components, workflow modeling, one-click deployment, AI-driven app and agent delivery, full-stack development, built-in DevSecOps, cloud-native infrastructure, training materials, and support for rapid prototyping. It is especially useful when you want a broader app-development environment than a simple starter. It falls short on clearly stated capacity details, since the free page only says limits apply to users, applications, storage, and support. Switch if you want a more feature-rich evaluation environment and can live with undisclosed caps.

• Beats Mendix: Broader free access to full app-building and deployment features.
• Falls short: The free-tier limits are less explicit than Mendix's.
• Who should switch: Switch here if you want to evaluate a full low-code platform for web and mobile apps.

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Cloud 66's free tier is for deploying and managing apps on your own cloud or servers, and it includes 1 deployment server, 1 static site, up to 5 deployments per 24 hours, 50 build minutes, 1 GB of free static site traffic, 100 MB of managed backup storage, 1 team member, 1 hour of metrics retention, daily backups, and Slack support. It is a practical choice for people who care about deployment operations more than app design. It beats Mendix on deployment control and operational detail in a free package. It falls short on user-facing app development, low-code tooling, and the built-in cloud app experience Mendix provides. Switch if your workflow is DevOps-first rather than app-builder-first.

• Beats Mendix: More deployment and operational controls in the free tier.
• Falls short: No low-code app builder or Mendix-style app platform.
• Who should switch: Switch here if you mainly need to deploy and monitor apps, not model them visually.

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Codename One's free tier is aimed at native app development with Java or Kotlin, and it includes iOS, Android, and Windows UWP builds, unlimited local builds, 100 cloud build credits per month, 1,000 push notifications per month, community support, royalty-free usage, manual app store submissions, and commerce IAP validation up to $200 per month. It is a good fit when your priority is native mobile output and build quotas. It beats Mendix on native app targets and build-oriented limits, especially if you want direct control over mobile delivery. It falls short on Mendix's low-code business application platform and orchestration features. Switch if you want a framework, not a low-code platform.

• Beats Mendix: Native mobile build targets and build-credit quota.
• Falls short: Much less low-code business app and orchestration capability than Mendix.
• Who should switch: Switch here if you are building native apps with Java or Kotlin and want free cloud builds.

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Expo's free tier is strong for React Native teams: it includes 15 Android and 15 iOS builds, low-priority build queue, 60 CI/CD minutes, app store submission support, updates to 1,000 monthly active users, 25 projects, unlimited members, 1 build concurrency, 45-minute build timeout, and a generous set of hosting limits including 100,000 requests per month, 1 GB storage, and 7 days of logs retention. It is the best fit when the main job is mobile app delivery with a modern JavaScript workflow. It beats Mendix on the breadth of free build and hosting quotas. It falls short on low-code app design and enterprise process orchestration. Switch if your team already works in React Native.

• Beats Mendix: More concrete build, update, and hosting quotas for mobile delivery.
• Falls short: Not a low-code enterprise app platform like Mendix.
• Who should switch: Switch here if your team builds mobile apps in React Native and wants generous free infrastructure.

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