No-Code · head to head
Corteza vs Lit
Corteza
No-Code
Apache-licensed open source low-code platform, formerly Crust, positioned against Salesforce
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Corteza planet Crust is a small company of roughly a dozen or so people, so the entire commercial support capability behind Corteza is thin and a large deployment can outgrow the vendors ability to respond.; Lit smaller ecosystem compared to React or Vue
- They diverge on capability: Corteza covers Corteza Low Code, Lit covers Reactive properties.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Corteza and Lit actually diverge.
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 Corteza
- Corteza Low Code
- Automation and workflow
- Bundled CRM
- Case management
- Federation
- Role-based access control
- Corteza Messaging and integrations
- Self-hosted deployment
Only in Lit
- Reactive properties
- Tagged template literals
- Scoped styling with Shadow DOM
- Web Components standard
- Minimal bundle size
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Corteza
- A European public body that needs a case management system on servers inside its own jurisdiction with an auditable licence and no per-seat vendor feenot Lit
- An NGO replacing a Salesforce donation that has run out, needing to keep the data model but remove the recurring costnot Lit
- An integrator building a regulated vertical application it intends to resell, requiring a permissive licence it can ship commerciallynot Lit
- A mid-size European company that wants one platform for internal applications and a sales pipeline without paying per seat as headcount growsnot Lit
Lit
- Building reusable component libraries across frameworksnot Corteza
- Creating design systems with scoped stylesnot Corteza
- Developing progressive web applications with minimal dependenciesnot Corteza
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Corteza
- Planet Crust is a small company of roughly a dozen or so people, so the entire commercial support capability behind Corteza is thin and a large deployment can outgrow the vendors ability to respond.
- No pricing is published for Planet Crusts support, hosting or implementation services, so the true running cost of a supported deployment cannot be estimated without a sales conversation.
- The connector ecosystem is small compared with commercial low-code platforms, so integrations with common SaaS tools usually mean writing against the REST API rather than installing something.
- Hiring is hard: almost nobody has Corteza on a CV, so you are training internal developers on a niche platform and you cannot easily replace them.
- The bundled CRM is a starting point rather than a mature product, and teams that expect Salesforce-equivalent sales functionality out of the box will spend months building the gap themselves.
Lit
- Smaller ecosystem compared to React or Vue
- Web Components adoption still growing in the industry
- Requires understanding of Shadow DOM concepts
Pricing, plan by plan
Corteza
Free- Corteza communityFree
- Apache 2.0 licensed with no feature gating
- Low-code builder, workflow engine, CRM and case management included
- Self-hosted on your own infrastructure
- Planet Crust support and services$undefined/year
- Commercial support, hosting and implementation from Planet Crust
- Custom application development
- Training
Lit
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Lit review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Corteza if
- You need corteza low code.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Docker.
- You also want automation and workflow.
Choose Lit if
- You need reactive properties.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Node.js.
- You also want tagged template literals.
Questions people ask
- Is Corteza or Lit better?
- Neither clearly leads. Corteza starts at Free and Lit at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Corteza or Lit?
- Corteza starts at Free and Lit at Free.
- Does Corteza or Lit run on more platforms?
- Corteza runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Docker. Lit runs on Web, Node.js.
- Can I use Corteza for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Corteza best used for?
- Corteza is most often used for a european public body that needs a case management system on servers inside its own jurisdiction with an auditable licence and no per-seat vendor fee, an ngo replacing a salesforce donation that has run out, needing to keep the data model but remove the recurring cost, an integrator building a regulated vertical application it intends to resell, requiring a permissive licence it can ship commercially, a mid-size european company that wants one platform for internal applications and a sales pipeline without paying per seat as headcount grows. Of those, a european public body that needs a case management system on servers inside its own jurisdiction with an auditable licence and no per-seat vendor fee and an ngo replacing a salesforce donation that has run out, needing to keep the data model but remove the recurring cost are not what Lit is typically brought in for.
- What can Corteza do that Lit cannot?
- Corteza covers Corteza Low Code, Automation and workflow, Bundled CRM, Case management. Lit covers Reactive properties, Tagged template literals, Scoped styling with Shadow DOM, Web Components standard.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Corteza: Is Corteza the same thing as Crust?
Yes. The project was branded Crust and renamed Corteza in 2019 when Crust Technology donated it to the Commons Conservancy.
Lit: Is Lit free to use?
Yes, Lit is open source and completely free under the BSD 3-Clause license.
SourceCorteza: Who owns the code?
The Commons Conservancy, a Dutch foundation. Planet Crust in Cork is the primary developer and sells commercial services around it.
Corteza: Is there a paid enterprise edition?
No. Corteza is Apache 2.0 with no feature gating. Planet Crust sells support, hosting and development instead of a restricted edition.
Corteza: Can it genuinely replace Salesforce?
For case management and a straightforward sales pipeline on a self-hosted footprint, yes. For a large sales organisation relying on AppExchange products and a mature ecosystem, no.
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