Spreadsheet & Data · head to head
Budibase vs Monday.com
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Budibase cloud plans are metered on automation actions, from 5,000 a month on Pro to 250,000 on Business; Monday.com expensive at scale with 3-seat minimum and costs increasing quickly with team size
- They diverge on capability: Budibase covers Drag-and-drop builder, Monday.com covers Customizable workflows.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Budibase and Monday.com actually diverge.
| Attribute | Budibase | Monday.com |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | Unknown |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | Web, iOS, Android |
| Category | Spreadsheet & Data | Technology |
| Founded | 2019 | 2012 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Budibase
- Drag-and-drop builder
- Database design
- REST API
- User management
- Custom code
- Workflows
- Responsive design
- 100+ integrations
Only in Monday.com
- Customizable workflows
- Multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar)
- Automation engine
- Real-time collaboration
- Mobile apps
- Forms
- Dashboards
- Workload management
Both cover
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Budibase
- Building internal tools over existing databasesnot Monday.com
- Self-hosting an open source low-code platformnot Monday.com
- Admin panels and CRUD apps for operations teamsnot Monday.com
- Automations triggered by data changesnot Monday.com
Monday.com
- Project managementnot Budibase
- Sales CRMnot Budibase
- Marketing campaignsnot Budibase
- HR processesnot Budibase
- IT ticketingnot Budibase
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Budibase
- Cloud plans are metered on automation actions, from 5,000 a month on Pro to 250,000 on Business
- Creator seats are limited and cost $50 each beyond the included count
- End users are $5 per user per month on top of the plan
- Custom branding needs Premium, SSO enforcement and environment variables need Business, and audit logs are Enterprise only
- Log retention is tiered from 1 day on Pro to 365 days on Enterprise
- Monthly billing costs 20 percent more than annual
Monday.com
- Expensive at scale with 3-seat minimum and costs increasing quickly with team size
- Limited free plan with only 2 users and 3 boards
- Mobile app provides reduced functionality compared to web version
- Email CC/BCC limitations for looping in stakeholders without full board access
- WorkForms can only create new items, not update existing ones
Pricing, plan by plan
Budibase
Free- Open SourceFree
- Self-hosted
- Community support
- FreeFree
- Cloud hosted
- Limited features
- Premium$50/month
- Advanced features
- Email support
Monday.com
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Monday.com review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Budibase if
- You need drag-and-drop builder.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted.
- You also want database design.
Choose Monday.com if
- You need customizable workflows.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want multiple views (kanban, gantt, calendar).
Questions people ask
- Is Budibase or Monday.com better?
- Neither clearly leads. Budibase starts at Free and Monday.com at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Budibase or Monday.com?
- Budibase starts at Free and Monday.com at Free.
- Does Budibase or Monday.com run on more platforms?
- Budibase runs on Web, Self-hosted. Monday.com runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Budibase for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Budibase best used for?
- Budibase is most often used for building internal tools over existing databases, self-hosting an open source low-code platform, admin panels and crud apps for operations teams, automations triggered by data changes. Of those, building internal tools over existing databases and self-hosting an open source low-code platform are not what Monday.com is typically brought in for.
- What can Budibase do that Monday.com cannot?
- Budibase covers Drag-and-drop builder, Database design, REST API, User management. Monday.com covers Customizable workflows, Multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar), Automation engine, Real-time collaboration. Both handle GDPR.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Monday.com: Does Monday.com have a free plan?
Yes, Monday.com offers a free plan limited to 2 users and 3 boards. Paid plans start at around $9 per seat per month and require a minimum of 3 seats.
SourceMonday.com: Can I use Monday.com on mobile?
Monday.com is available on iOS and Android, but the mobile app lacks the full depth of the desktop version, making complex board management more difficult on the go.
SourceMonday.com: Does Monday.com support offline work?
Monday.com is primarily a cloud-based platform and does not have robust offline capabilities. You need an internet connection to access and edit boards.
SourceMonday.com: What is Monday.com's pricing based on?
Pricing is based on the number of seats and which product module you choose (Work Management, Sales CRM, Dev, or Service). Each module has different features and pricing.
SourceRelated pages
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- Budibase vs PyCharm
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- Budibase vs Docker
- Budibase vs Netlify
- Budibase vs Okta
- Budibase vs Aha!
- Budibase vs Coda
- Budibase vs Dashlane
- Budibase vs GitHub
- Monday.com vs Tableau
- Monday.com vs Looker
- Monday.com vs Metabase
- Monday.com vs Redash
- Monday.com vs Fibery
- Monday.com vs Apache Superset
- Monday.com vs Baserow
- Monday.com vs NocoDB
- Monday.com vs Asana
- Monday.com vs ClickUp
- Monday.com vs Figma
- Monday.com vs Linear
- Monday.com vs Greenhouse
- Monday.com vs Notion
- Monday.com vs Amplitude
- Monday.com vs Datadog
- Monday.com vs PostHog
- Monday.com vs PyCharm
- Monday.com vs Sketch
- Monday.com vs Docker
- Monday.com vs Netlify
- Monday.com vs Okta
- Monday.com vs Aha!
- Monday.com vs Coda
- Monday.com vs Dashlane
- Monday.com vs GitHub


