A Directus alternative with a free core and flat pricing
Looking for a Directus alternative? Kanesh is AGPL-3.0, free for one workspace, and $9 per month per install for unlimited workspaces and an AI assistant.
Kanesh is a Directus alternative with a free core and flat pricing: free to self-host for one workspace with every core feature, and $9 per month per install for unlimited workspaces and the in-Studio AI assistant. It is a new product at its first stable release, and its core is AGPL-3.0, so check that the license fits your plans.
What Directus offers
Directus is a mature headless data platform. It works with many SQL databases, serves REST and GraphQL, includes a native MCP server and AI assistant, and adds flows and dashboards on top of its studio. Its license is the Monospace Sustainable Core License 1.0, which restricts paid competing use and becomes GPL-3.0 after four years.
For many teams that license is fine. It matters when you plan to host the backend as a paid service for other people, or when your company only accepts a fixed list of licenses.
What “flat pricing” means in Kanesh
Kanesh has two plans. Free is one workspace per install, with unlimited collections, records and members and every core feature, including REST, GraphQL and MCP. Pro is $9 per month per install and adds unlimited workspaces and the in-Studio AI assistant, which is still in development. For the assistant you bring your own provider keys or base URL.
The price does not depend on seats or on how many workspaces you create. The core is AGPL-3.0, and the Pro code lives in an ee/ folder under the Kanesh Commercial License (draft). Keys are verified offline. If a key expires, extra workspaces become read-only and nothing is deleted. See pricing for the details.
AGPL-3.0 is a copyleft license: if you change Kanesh and offer it to others over a network, you share those changes. Read it against your plans before you build a business on Kanesh.
Questions to ask before you choose
- Will you host the backend as a paid service for others? Read the Directus license and the AGPL-3.0 against that plan.
- Does your company accept AGPL-3.0? It covers the Kanesh core, while the Pro code in
ee/is under a commercial license. - Do you need flows, dashboards or visual editing? Directus has them, and Kanesh does not.
- Do you host several clients or products? Kanesh runs many independent workspaces from one install for $9 per month.
- Do you need a long-proven platform? Directus is mature, and Kanesh is new, at its first stable release.
Directus and Kanesh side by side
| Kanesh | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 core; 1 workspace free, unlimited workspaces + AI assistant $9/month per install | Monospace Sustainable Core License 1.0, GPL-3.0 after four years |
| Databases | SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL | Many SQL databases |
| APIs | REST, GraphQL, OpenAPI 3.1 export | REST, GraphQL |
| AI agents | Free opt-in read-only MCP endpoint per workspace; in-Studio AI assistant planned for Pro | Native MCP server and AI assistant |
| Studio | Collections, records, schema graph, roles | Full data studio, flows, dashboards |
| Workspaces | Many independent workspaces per install | Not compared here |
| Footprint | One Docker image, about 8.9 MB | Not compared here |
| Maturity | New, first stable release | Production platform |
Where Kanesh fits
Kanesh is one Go binary with the Studio embedded, in an image of about 8.9 MB (arm64, measured 2026-10-04). It idled under 10 MiB of memory in a local smoke test, which is not a benchmark. Each workspace has its own schema, members, roles, REST and GraphQL API, and MCP endpoint. Roles are Owner, Administrator, Editor, Viewer and Public, with up to 20 custom roles and 50 policies per workspace.
You build the image from the repository with docker build -t kanesh .. Getting started has the full steps.
FAQ
Is Kanesh open source?
The core is open source under AGPL-3.0, and it is free to self-host with every core feature for one workspace. The Pro code, unlimited workspaces and the AI assistant, lives in the ee/ folder under the Kanesh Commercial License, which is still a draft. Its source is visible, but using it needs a license key. Read both licenses before you decide.
How much does Kanesh cost?
Nothing for one workspace per install, with unlimited collections, records and members and every core feature. Pro is $9 per month per install for unlimited workspaces and the AI assistant, with no per-seat charges. See pricing.
Can Kanesh replace Directus flows and dashboards?
No. Kanesh has no workflows or dashboards today, and workflows are on the roadmap. Studio covers collections, records, the schema graph and roles. If your team depends on flows or dashboards, Directus is the better choice for now.
Does Kanesh have an AI assistant like Directus?
Not yet. An in-Studio assistant is in development for Pro, and you will bring your own provider keys or base URL. Today agents connect over MCP, which is free.
Does Kanesh have an MCP server like Directus?
Yes, in a smaller form, and it is part of the free core. Set MCP_ENABLED=true and each workspace exposes a read-only MCP endpoint with three tools: get_workspace_schema, get_schema_model and list_records. It uses personal API tokens with the token owner’s permissions. Writes go through REST with the same token. Directus has a native MCP server and AI assistant.
Next steps
Follow Getting started, read how access control works, check pricing, or see the full Kanesh vs Directus comparison.
Keep reading
Introducing Kanesh, a small AI-first backend
Why we built a self-hosted data platform that fits in one container and speaks MCP next to REST and GraphQL.
MVP backend: when static data is enough and when you need an API
Choose an MVP backend: compare static data and APIs, weigh migration costs, and start with Kanesh collections without writing a custom backend.
One backend per client was one setup too many
Repeating Directus setups for client projects led me to build a multi-tenant backend with independent workspaces in one Kanesh install.