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APIs · head to head

Backendless vs Formance

Backendless logo

Backendless

APIs

Visual app development platform with REST APIs and cloud backend

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Formance logo

Formance

APIs

Open source double-entry ledger and payment orchestration for money-moving software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Backendless free tier limited to 50 API requests per minute and 20 database tables; Formance formance holds no money and provides no regulatory cover, so it must be paired with a payments provider or bank, and buyers occasionally mistake a ledger for a treasury system and discover the gap late.
  • They diverge on capability: Backendless covers REST API, Formance covers Double-entry ledger.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Backendless and Formance actually diverge.

Attributes where Backendless and Formance differ
AttributeBackendlessFormance
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsCloud, Visual builderLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web, API
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Backendless

  • REST API
  • Real-time database
  • Cloud code
  • Custom integrations
  • Webhooks
  • Cloud functions
  • Cloud support
  • Visual builder support

Only in Formance

  • Double-entry ledger
  • Numscript transaction DSL
  • Multi-currency
  • Payments connectivity
  • Reconciliation
  • Self-hosted deployment
  • Cloud offering
  • API and SDKs

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Backendless

  • API Developmentnot Formance
  • API Gatewaynot Formance
  • API Testingnot Formance
  • API Documentationnot Formance
  • Microservicesnot Formance

Formance

  • A marketplace splitting a single customer payment between seller, platform fee and tax that needs the split to be atomic and auditablenot Backendless
  • A fintech whose homegrown balances table produced numbers finance could not reconcile and now needs proper double-entry before an auditnot Backendless
  • A payments team that wants one normalised model across several PSPs so reconciliation is not written separately for eachnot Backendless
  • A company that wants its ledger under a licence it can keep running even if the vendor disappearsnot Backendless

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Backendless

  • Free tier limited to 50 API requests per minute and 20 database tables
  • Smaller community and integration ecosystem compared to Firebase or AWS
  • Customization beyond codeless tools requires developer expertise
  • Limited documentation for advanced use cases and edge cases

Formance

  • Formance holds no money and provides no regulatory cover, so it must be paired with a payments provider or bank, and buyers occasionally mistake a ledger for a treasury system and discover the gap late.
  • Numscript is a domain-specific language your team must learn, and while it makes complex splits expressible it also means transaction logic sits outside the languages your engineers already debug well.
  • Self-hosting a ledger that must never lose or duplicate a transaction is a serious operational commitment covering backups, upgrades and Postgres tuning, which is real cost the zero licence fee hides.
  • Enterprise pricing is not published, so the difference between the free path and the supported path cannot be evaluated without a sales conversation.
  • The company is much smaller than the incumbent alternatives, and while the MIT licence protects the code it does not protect the roadmap, so features on the hosted side may arrive slowly or change direction.

Pricing, plan by plan

Backendless

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50 API requests/minute
    • 20 database tables
    • 1 GB file storage
  • Scale Variable$15/month
    • Unlimited API requests/month
    • 100 database tables
    • 10 GB file storage
  • Scale Fixed$15/month
    • Same as Scale Variable
    • Fixed monthly pricing

Formance

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • MIT licensed core ledger
    • Numscript transaction DSL
    • Multi-currency tracking
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Managed or private deployment
    • Payments connectivity and reconciliation
    • Support with response commitments

Which should you pick?

Choose Backendless if

  • You need rest api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Visual builder.
  • You also want real-time database.
Backendless review

Choose Formance if

  • You need double-entry ledger.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web, API.
  • You also want numscript transaction dsl.
Formance review

Questions people ask

Is Backendless or Formance better?
Neither clearly leads. Backendless starts at Free and Formance at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Backendless or Formance?
Backendless starts at Free and Formance at Free.
Does Backendless or Formance run on more platforms?
Backendless runs on Cloud, Visual builder. Formance runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web, API.
Can I use Backendless for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Backendless best used for?
Backendless is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Formance is typically brought in for.
What can Backendless do that Formance cannot?
Backendless covers REST API, Real-time database, Cloud code, Custom integrations. Formance covers Double-entry ledger, Numscript transaction DSL, Multi-currency, Payments connectivity.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Backendless: Does Backendless have a free tier?

Backendless Free plan ($0/month) includes 50 API requests per minute, 20 database tables, 1 GB file storage, 1 visualization, 2 security roles, and basic cloud code capabilities.

Source
Formance: Is Formance really open source?

Yes. The core ledger is MIT licensed with full source access and no deployment restrictions.

Backendless: What features does the Scale plan include?

Scale plan ($15+/month) provides unlimited API requests per month, 100 database tables, 10 GB file storage, 5 visualizations, 10 custom API keys, daily backups, free SSL certificates, and 1,000 real-time connections.

Source
Formance: Does Formance move money?

No. It records and orchestrates movements; the actual payments happen at a PSP or bank you connect.

Backendless: Can I add more storage or increase API limits?

Yes, Backendless offers Function Packs ranging from $5-$399/month to increase specific limits such as storage, API requests, or security features.

Source
Formance: What does the enterprise version cost?

Not published. It is an annual subscription quoted per customer.

Backendless: Does Backendless support offline functionality?

Backendless supports real-time sync and offline capabilities for mobile apps, allowing data to sync when connectivity is restored.

Source
Formance: Do I have to use Numscript?

Yes for anything beyond the simplest transfers. It is how multi-party transactions are expressed atomically.

Backendless: Is Backendless Pro available for self-hosting?

Yes, Backendless Pro Community Edition is available under free licensing for core functionality. Managed Backendless is a paid option for self-hosted deployments with request-based pricing.

Source
Backendless: What are Backendless's integration limitations?

While Backendless supports many integrations, it has a smaller integration library compared to competitors. Finding solutions to edge cases or complex setups may require more development effort.

Source
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