Should I self-host ToolJet?
ToolJet publishes the software; the cloud plan charges $79/mo to run it for you. Run the community edition — or Appsmith, same category, whose boot we verified — and keep the builder seats free.
Managed upgrades and cloud-plan support
Some enterprise connectors are license-gated in CE
internal tool builder · data source connectors · app sharing · queries & workflows
* Percent of the subscription price. Your time is priced at the slider's rate — $0/h ("my homelab time is free and I love it") is a legitimate position. Every number is derived from the record, never hand-written. Price source, checked 2026-08-07.
Runs comfortably on a real VPS (2 GB+).
# Appsmith — internal tool builder; official all-in-one image
services:
appsmith:
image: appsmith/appsmith-ce:latest
container_name: appsmith
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "8108:80"
volumes:
- appsmith-data:/appsmith-stacks
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "curl -sf http://localhost:80/api/v1/health >/dev/null || exit 1"]
interval: 10s
timeout: 10s
retries: 60
start_period: 120s
volumes:
appsmith-data:
Want a guided install instead? caniselfhostit.com/tooljet-cloud has AI-agent prompts that assume a bare machine — that's their half of the stool, and it's good.
FULL TIMED LOG
# ToolJet — verdict log - **Date:** 2026-08-10 - **Verdict:** YES — worth it - **Protocol:** v1 (2GB reference env, Docker preinstalled, AI assistant: claude-code) ## Setup evidence (shared) - This verdict rides on the same replacement verified for `retool-appsmith` — see `compose/retool-appsmith.yml` and its log. ## The call ToolJet publishes the software; the cloud plan charges $79/mo to run it for you. Run the community edition — or Appsmith, same category, whose boot we verified — and keep the builder seats free.