Should you use Appsmith in 2025?

In my professional use, I have primarily used Appsmith to quickly develop customized internal tools, such as administrative dashboards and simplified CRMs. What stands out most is the ease with which different data sources can be integrated, which is a major strength of the tool. It's quick to learn, and the fact that it's open source adds significant flexibility to adapt the tool to specific needs.

Appsmith excels particularly in contexts where web interfaces need to be built and modified frequently for team management or operational monitoring, without mobilizing a full team of developers. This promotes agility and responsiveness among business teams.

However, its limitations become apparent with projects requiring complex business logic or highly customized interfaces beyond standard widgets. Low-code architecture can show its limitations beyond a certain level of technical complexity, making it necessary to consider complementary solutions for certain advanced cases.

Appsmith is well suited for novice developers or non-technical users who want to quickly create internal applications. Its drag-and-drop interface, combined with pre-designed widgets, makes it easy to set up without requiring extensive coding knowledge. In addition, the documentation is comprehensive and the active community can quickly guide new users.

This feature lowers the barrier to entry for developing internal tools, which is ideal for small teams or departments that want to be self-sufficient without relying on dedicated developers for every need.

Appsmith is primarily offered as a free open-source solution, making it a very attractive choice for cost-conscious developers and organizations. This package covers key features and allows unlimited use without a subscription.

For users who want to take advantage of managed cloud hosting, paid plans are available, with options tailored to the needs of larger teams or companies looking for dedicated technical support. These plans are priced according to the number of users and hosting capacity, but remain competitive compared to traditional low-code platforms.

The first key feature of Appsmith is its drag-and-drop visual interface builder. This allows you to quickly create dashboards, forms, lists, and buttons with minimal code, while offering the flexibility to write JavaScript to customize behaviors if necessary.

Another major strength is its ability to easily connect to a wide variety of databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, etc.) and REST or GraphQL APIs. This simple integration facilitates the creation of business tools that are interconnected with existing systems.

Among its advanced features, Appsmith allows for multi-level user permission management, ensuring precise access control based on roles. This is essential for internal applications that require differentiation between editing and viewing rights.

In addition, the tool offers a system of triggers and automations, allowing actions to be chained together in response to user events, such as submitting a form or clicking a button. This capability greatly enhances the interactivity of the applications built.