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It's a split decision.
Choose Plasmic when developers need non-developers to build and publish pages or app experiences using existing React components, data sources and deployment environments. Choose Windmill when the core need is running scripts, workflows, data pipelines or internal apps on a job orchestration platform. Both are open source and self-hostable. Plasmic pricing centers on collaborators and annual plan tiers; Windmill’s paid costs grow with seats and compute, including workers.
01Side by side
| Plasmic | Windmill | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Annual tiers; collaborator add-ons; Enterprise custom | Committed seats and compute; workers priced separately |
| Free tier | 3 collaborators; unlimited projects and headless CMS | Unlimited executions; 3 workspaces; up to 50 users |
| Open source and licence | Open source; exact licence not specified | Open source; Enterprise includes a commercial licence |
| Self-hosting | On-premise or behind firewalls | Docker or Kubernetes |
| API and SDKs | React components; HTTP and GraphQL endpoints | Python, TypeScript, Go, PHP, Bash and SQL scripts |
| Integrations | Supabase, Contentful, Shopify, Figma, HTTP, GraphQL | Stripe, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, HubSpot, Slack, Teams |
| Deployment model | Integrates with existing apps and deployment environments | Cloud service or self-hosted orchestration platform |
| Limits and scaling | Paid tiers cap collaborators; extra seats cost more | Costs scale with seats, compute units and workers |
Plasmic Choose Plasmic if
- Choose Plasmic if marketing or product teams need to publish visual experiences.
- Choose Plasmic if your app already uses React components and design systems.
- Choose Plasmic if visual editing matters more than workflow orchestration.
Windmill Choose Windmill if
- Choose Windmill if scripts and DAG-based workflows are your primary building blocks.
- Choose Windmill if you need internal apps alongside data pipelines and agents.
- Choose Windmill if you want Docker or Kubernetes self-hosting.
02Pricing at real usage
Plasmic’s Free plan is $0 per month and includes 3 collaborators, unlimited projects and unlimited headless CMS. Paid prices are listed per month when billed yearly: Starter is $39, Pro $103 and Scale $399. The pricing page lists a 20% saving for annual billing; monthly-billing prices are not published. Extra collaborators cost $20 each on Pro and $40 on Scale. Enterprise pricing is custom.
Windmill’s free, open-source plan costs $0 and includes unlimited executions, 3 workspaces, up to 50 users and 10 GiB of workspace object storage. Enterprise starts at $120 per month, with subscriptions based on committed seats and compute units. The pricing simulator lists builders at $20 per month each and workers at $50 per worker per month; its example totals $170 per month for configured seats and compute. Compare likely seat and worker counts, not just starting prices.
03API, SDKs and integration
Plasmic is a visual editing platform that connects to an existing codebase. Developers can register React components for other teams to use, connect data through built-in connectors or HTTP and GraphQL endpoints, and bring in data sources, deployment environments and design systems. Its homepage names Supabase, Contentful, Shopify and Figma; the Figma plugin turns designs into React code in Plasmic Studio. The published product details don’t name a CLI or a language-specific SDK.
Windmill is code-first: scripts become API endpoints and forms, and each script or flow gets an autogenerated webhook. The homepage lists Python, TypeScript, Go, PHP, Bash and SQL, plus REST and GraphQL support. Workflows are DAGs; the platform also has a low-code app editor and supports React and Svelte frontends. It names Stripe, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, HubSpot, Slack and Teams. Teams can build in the UI or locally and collaborate through Git-based workflows. The published product details don’t name a CLI.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Both products are described as open source and self-hostable, but the exact open-source licence for either is not specified. Windmill’s Enterprise plan includes a commercial licence; check the licence terms that apply to your intended deployment before adopting either product.
Plasmic says teams can deploy to their chosen hosting infrastructure, including on-premise or behind firewalls, and use existing code, components and deployment environments. Windmill supports self-hosting with Docker or Kubernetes and offers Git-based collaboration. Those integration points can reduce dependence on a single hosted runtime, but migration still involves adapting visual projects or workflows to another system. The vendors don’t publish data export formats in the published product details; ask about export coverage for content, app definitions, workflow history and credentials before planning an exit.
Questions people ask
Is Plasmic or Windmill better for building a website?
Plasmic is the closer fit for websites and app experiences that need visual layouts, responsive styling, dynamic values and content editing. It connects to existing codebases and React components. Windmill’s focus is scripts, workflows, data pipelines, agents and internal apps, rather than a visual website-building workflow.
Can Plasmic and Windmill both be self-hosted?
Yes. Plasmic says it supports deployment to on-premise infrastructure or behind firewalls. Windmill supports self-hosting with Docker or Kubernetes. Check each product’s licence terms and operational requirements against your deployment environment before choosing.
Which is cheaper, Plasmic or Windmill?
It depends on team shape and usage. Plasmic lists annual-billing prices from $39 per month for Starter, with collaborator add-ons on paid tiers. Windmill’s free plan includes unlimited executions, while Enterprise starts at $120 per month and costs can include seats and workers.
Do Plasmic and Windmill support APIs?
Both connect to APIs, but in different ways. Plasmic connects to HTTP and GraphQL endpoints as data sources. Windmill supports REST and GraphQL, and scripts can run as API endpoints with autogenerated webhooks. Windmill also lists six script languages: Python, TypeScript, Go, PHP, Bash and SQL.