Kanesh vs Directus
Directus is a full data platform under a source-available license. Kanesh is a small backend, free for one workspace and $9 per month per install for unlimited workspaces and an AI assistant.
Directus is a mature headless platform with a large feature set. Kanesh is much smaller and earlier. Its AGPL-3.0 core is free to self-host with every core feature for one workspace, and Pro adds unlimited workspaces and an AI assistant.
| Kanesh | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 core; 1 workspace free, unlimited workspaces + AI assistant $9/month per install | Monospace Sustainable Core License 1.0: restricts paid competing use, becomes GPL-3.0 after four years |
| Footprint | One image, about 8.9 MB, under 10 MiB idle in our smoke test | Node.js application |
| Workspaces | Many independent workspaces per install | One project per instance |
| Databases | SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL | Many SQL databases |
| APIs | REST, GraphQL, OpenAPI 3.1 export | REST, GraphQL |
| AI agents | Free read-only MCP endpoint; in-Studio AI assistant planned for Pro | Native MCP server and AI assistant |
| Studio | Collections, records, schema graph, roles | Full data studio, dashboards, flows, visual editing |
| Maturity | New, first stable release | Production platform |
Choose Directus if
You need flows, dashboards, visual editing and a proven platform, and its license fits your business.
Choose Kanesh if
You want a free core and one flat $9 per month upgrade, in a very small container that hosts many workspaces at once.