shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Budibase?

Build AI agents, chat and automate internal workflows instantly. The fastest way to automate internal business processes. - budibase.com

Depends. Buy if you're a technical team building internal tools and comfortable self-hosting and patching. Skip if you need a stable free tier, predictable pricing, or a spotless security record.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~50 public sources: G2 and Reddit reviews, GitHub advisories (NVD, GHSA), Budibase's own pricing and security pages. Snippets truncated; exact G2 rating not retrievable.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Open Source (self-host)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierNo
Pro / Premiumfrom ~$50/creator/mo
EnterpriseCustom

Best for

  • Internal admin panels and CRUD apps
  • Ops teams automating workflows
  • Self-hosters on SQL databases

Not for

  • Security-sensitive apps exposed to untrusted traffic
  • Teams counting on the free Cloud tier
  • Non-technical teams with no database comfort
  • Buyers needing pricing stability long-term

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Cloud free tier is ending; budget for paid plans before you build

medium

OSS self-host user limits were announced; verify current caps before committing

medium

Per-creator pricing (~$50/mo) compounds quickly as more builders join

medium

Repeated licensing and pricing changes have burned early adopters; read self-host ToS first

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Open-source and self-hostable on your own infrastructure
  • Reviewer built a working app in about 10 minutes
  • Builds apps directly on top of your SQL databases
  • Users consistently praise ease of use on G2
  • ISO 27001 certified

Cons

  • Cloud free tier is being discontinued
  • Self-hosted open-source version will get user limits
  • Critical unauthenticated RCE vulnerability disclosed
  • Community accuses company of open-source bait and switch
  • Pricing tiers and limits keep changing

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/24/2026 - 12 sources - ISO 27001 certified, but 2026 brought a cluster of critical CVEs — unauthenticated RCE, auth bypass, SSRF. Patch fast if self-hosting.

official x3review x5security x1news x3
  • CVE-2026-35216: unauthenticated RCE, Unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Budibase.
  • CVE-2026-41428: authentication bypass, Critical auth bypass could expose app and user data.
  • CVE-2026-31818: SSRF by insecure default, Critical SSRF enabled by insecure default configuration.
  • CVE-2026-45061: SSRF, Server-side request forgery vulnerability in Budibase.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Free tier ending; per-creator pricing scales fast
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Reviewer built a working app in 10 minutes
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Apps, workflows, AI agents, SQL connectors
  • Support quality: 3/5. Open-source users get community-first support
  • Security posture: 2/5. Multiple critical CVEs despite ISO 27001
  • $50/creator/mo Starting price Paid plan, per third-party pricing guide
  • Ending Free Cloud tier Per Budibase team announcement
  • $7M seed Funding ~$9.9M total raised; Belfast startup
  • ISO 27001 Security cert Certified, but 2026 brought critical CVEs

Pricing

Open Source (self-host)

Free

  • Self-host on your own infra
  • User limits being introduced

Pro / Premium

from ~$50/creator/mo

  • Hosted cloud plans
  • 10K Budibase AI credits on Premium

Enterprise

Not disclosed

  • Advanced security and support
  • Contact sales

Security

ISO 27001 certified, but 2026 brought a cluster of critical CVEs — unauthenticated RCE, auth bypass, SSRF.

  • CVE-2026-35216: unauthenticated RCEUnauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Budibase.⁹
  • CVE-2026-41428: authentication bypassCritical auth bypass could expose app and user data.

Patch fast if self-hosting.

  • CVE-2026-31818: SSRF by insecure defaultCritical SSRF enabled by insecure default configuration.
  • CVE-2026-45061: SSRFServer-side request forgery vulnerability in Budibase.

What users say

Users like the ease of use and self-hosting on SQL, but community sentiment soured over user limits, the ending free tier, and shifting open-source terms.

“Budibase Will Soon Limit Users on OSS Self Hosted Version”
Reddit, r/selfhosted
“Opensource bait and switch?”
GitHub community discussion
“Budibase Cloud free tier is ending”
GitHub community discussion

Alternatives

Compare Budibase with each alternative.

  • Appsmith

    Developer-first open-source internal tool builder with free self-hosting.

  • Retool

    Commercial incumbent for internal tools; more polish, less open-source friction.

    Budibase vs Retool

  • ToolJet

    Open-source alternative with self-hosting and comparable app-building features.

    Budibase vs ToolJet
Full analysis

Based on ~50 public sources: G2 and Reddit reviews, GitHub advisories (NVD, GHSA), Budibase's own pricing and security pages. Snippets truncated; exact G2 rating not retrievable.

Solid open-source internal-tool builder, but free tier ending, self-host user limits, and a stack of critical CVEs. Test before you commit.

Methodology

Based on ~50 public sources: G2 and Reddit reviews, GitHub advisories (NVD, GHSA), Budibase's own pricing and security pages. Snippets truncated; exact G2 rating not retrievable.

Sources

  1. Budibase Reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  2. Budibase Review 2026: I Built an App in 10 Minutesemergent.sh
    review
  3. Budibase Will Soon Limit Users on OSS Self Hosted Version — Redditreddit.com
    review
  4. Budibase Cloud free tier is ending — GitHub discussiongithub.com
    news
  5. Opensource bait and switch? — GitHub discussiongithub.com
    news
  6. Budibase pricing: plans, limits, and how costs really scalejetadmin.io
    review
  7. Budibase Review — ToolJet blog ($50/creator/mo)blog.tooljet.com
    review
  8. Upcoming pricing and limit changes — Budibasebudibase.com
    official
  9. CVE-2026-35216: Unauthenticated RCE — GitHub advisorygithub.com
    security
  10. Budibase is ISO 27001 certifiedbudibase.com
    official
  11. Budibase raises $7M seed — Silicon Republicsiliconrepublic.com
    news
  12. Budibase pricing plansbudibase.com
    official

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