Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Horizon

Realtime open-source backend for JS apps by RethinkDB

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Horizon launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   PocketBase – Open Source realtime backend in one file▲563

   Open Source realtime backend in 1 file. Contribute to pocketbase/pocketbase development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   The Changelog - #181: RethinkDB, Databases, and the Realtime Web With Slava Akhmechet▲60

   Slava Akhmechet schools us on RethinkDB and the realtime web

   2015 · changelog.com · its alternatives →

3. 3DA
   DriftDB – an open source WebSocket backend for real-time apps▲367

   Hey HN! I’ve written a bunch of WebSocket servers over the years to do simple things like state synchronization, WebRTC signaling, and notifying a client when a backend job was run. I realized that if I had a simple way to create a private, temporary, mini-redis that the client could talk to directly, it would save a lot of time. So we created DriftDB. In addition to the open source server that you can run yourself, we also provide https://jamsocket.live where you can use an instance we host on Cloudflare’s edge (~13ms round trip latency from my home in NY). You may have seen my…

   2023 · driftdb.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Open SaaS▲505

   Open-source & 100% free React & Node.js SaaS starter

   2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Restyaboard▲197

   An open source alternative to Trello

   2015 · restya.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   StaticBackend▲118

   Low code self-hosted backend API to build web apps

   2023 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   PocketBase▲107

   Open Source realtime backend in 1 file

   2022 · pocketbase.io · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Saleor 2.0▲177

   Open source storefront for great e-commerce experiences

   2018 · saleor.io · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Horizon UI Tailwind▲147

   Open-source trendy admin template for Tailwind CSS & React

   2023 · horizon-ui.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    JustBackend▲112

    A lightweight database replacement for agile projects

    2024 · justbackend.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Portal▲164

    Self-host open source apps in seconds

    2015 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Helios▲66

    An extensible open-source mobile backend framework

    2014 · globalli.io · its alternatives →

13. 13
    RethinkDB▲2

    RethinkDB pushes JSON to your apps in realtime.

    2015 · rethinkdb.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    CloudBoost – Open-Source Parse, Firebase and Algolia Combined into One▲113

    Realtime JavaScript Backend. . Contribute to CloudBoost/cloudboost development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Vendure▲98

    Open-source headless e-commerce framework for developers

    2021 · vendure.io · its alternatives →

16. 16
    ModernCloud▲101

    A browser-based serverless platform that is open-source

    2021 · moderncloud.io · its alternatives →

17. 17WM
    We made a real-time editor for web database apps▲121

    2018 · demo.hyperfiddle.net · its alternatives →

18. 18
    OpenMCT by NASA▲86

    A web based mission control framework

    2016 · nasa.github.io · its alternatives →

19. 19
    RethinkDB 2.0

    Open source, production-ready database for the realtime web.

    2015 · rethinkdb.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    GoatDB – A lightweight, offline-first, realtime NoDB for Deno and React▲90

    Hey HN, We've been experimenting with a real-time, version-controlled NoDB for Deno & React called GoatDB. The idea is to remove backend complexity while keeping apps fast, offline-resilient, and easy to self-host. Runs on the client – No backend required, incremental queries keep things efficient. Self-hosted & lightweight – Deploy a single executable, no server stack needed. Offline-first & resilient – Clients work independently & can restore state after server outages. Edge-native & fast – Real-time sync happens locally with minimal overhead. Why We Built It: We needed something that’s…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Realtime, self-hosted monitoring for Node.js inspired by GitHub Status▲75

    🚀 Realtime Monitoring solution for Node.js/Express.js apps, inspired by status.github.com, sponsored by https://dynobase.dev - RafalWilinski/express-status-monitor

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Horizons – OSS agent execution engine▲39

    I'm Josh, founder of Synth. We've been working on coding agent optimization with method like GEPA and MIPRO (the latter of which, I helped to originally develop), agent evaluation via methods like RLMs, and large scale deployment for training and inference. We've also worked on patterns for memory, processing live context, and managing agent actions, combining it all in a single stack called Horizons. With the release of OpenAI's Frontier and the consumer excitement around OpenClaw, we think the timing is right to release a v0. It integrates with our sdk for evaluation and optimization but…

    Feb 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Fireactjs▲65

    Open-source framework for building SaaS applications with Firebase, React, TypeScript, and Stripe

    2023 · fireact.dev · its alternatives →

24. 24
    SpacetimeDB▲18

    Development at the speed of light.

    Mar 2026 · spacetimedb.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →