Alternatives / Ycode
Looking for an open source Ycode alternative? We compared 9 open source visual builders and CMS platforms by license, editing model, and maintenance. Webstudio, Plasmic, and Onlook are visual tools for developers, while WordPress and Drupal are full CMS platforms.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Onlook | Visual editor for React and Tailwind | Apache-2.0 |
| WordPress | Largest ecosystem | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Webstudio | No-code builder with code control | AGPL-3.0-or-later core |
| Builder.io | Visual editing with headless CMS (hosted) | MIT SDKs / proprietary hosted platform |
| Plasmic | Visual editor that generates React | MIT + AGPL-3.0 (platform) |
| Drupal | Modular CMS | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Frappe Builder | Low-code builder on Frappe | MIT |
| Silex | Static site builder, 11ty output | AGPL-3.0 |
| Nordcraft | Component-based engine (engine only) | Apache-2.0 (engine only) |
We looked for open-source tools that build sites visually like Ycode. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository. See our methodology for the full criteria.
Webstudio is a no-code builder with HTML and CSS control, versioning, and collaboration. Onlook edits React and Tailwind apps visually and writes changes back to code. Plasmic generates production React code with Figma import, and Silex builds static sites with 11ty output.
WordPress has the largest plugin ecosystem, Drupal is a modular CMS for complex sites, Frappe Builder is a low-code builder on the Frappe Framework, and Builder combines visual editing with a headless CMS.
Builder's SDKs are MIT but its hosted platform is proprietary. Nordcraft's engine is Apache-2.0 but only the engine is open. Plasmic's platform is AGPL-3.0 while its libraries are MIT.
Onlook and Nordcraft's engine are Apache-2.0. Webstudio and Silex are AGPL-3.0. WordPress and Drupal are GPL-2.0 or later. Frappe Builder is MIT.
All nine had commits within days or weeks of this update.
Ycode is itself open source but its self-hosted path depends on Vercel and Supabase. Alternatives differ in editing style, stack, and hosting freedom.
Onlook is an open-source visual editor that lets you design, style, and edit a React application with real-time code updates and AI help, running as a desktop app. It currently supports Next.js and Tailwind CSS projects only, and the team is building a separate hosted product that is in early access.
Pricing: Free and open source; the hosted product is in early access.
WordPress is a content management system for everything from simple blogs to complex stores, with an intuitive dashboard, thousands of themes and plugins, SEO tools, multi-language support, and WooCommerce. It is licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later. Newsletters and paid memberships require plugins or external services.
Pricing: Free and open source; hosting, themes, and plugins have separate costs.
Webstudio is an open-source visual website builder that connects to any headless CMS, supports all CSS properties, and can be hosted anywhere, including on Webstudio's cloud. The core is AGPL-3.0-or-later, while an optional animation component package is proprietary and requires accepting an EULA.
Pricing: Free self-hosted; hosted plans are paid.
Visual development and headless content platform for React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, and other frameworks. The public MIT BuilderIO/builder repository contains SDKs, integrations, examples, and plugins; the complete hosted platform is proprietary and not an entirely open-source CMS.
Pricing: Hosted platform is commercial; public MIT repository covers SDKs and integrations.
Plasmic is a visual builder for React for building apps, websites, and content, with Figma import, data connectors, and code generation that you can integrate into your own codebase. Everything outside the platform directory is MIT, while the platform directory is AGPL-3.0, and self-hosting is available.
Pricing: Free self-hosted; hosted plans are paid.
GPL-2.0-or-later CMS with structured content, themes, modules, multilingual support, permissions, workflows, APIs, and enterprise extensibility. Can render complete websites or serve headless content. GitHub repository is a mirror; canonical development takes place on Drupal.org.
Pricing: Free and open source; self-hosted or available through third-party services.
Silex is an open-source online tool for visually creating static sites with dynamic data, compatible with 11ty for static generation and CI/CD deployment. It can be self-hosted with Docker, Node.js, or CapRover, and there is also a desktop app. It is AGPL-3.0.
Pricing: Free and open source; self-hosted.
MIT visual website builder on the Frappe Framework, with drag-and-drop editing, responsive layouts, reusable components, dynamic backend data, and publishing.
Pricing: Free and open source; self-hosted with the Frappe ecosystem.
Nordcraft is a visual web development engine with a component-based framework, real-time collaboration, a visual editor, and API and database integration, with hosting on Cloudflare. Its GitHub repository holds the engine packages (core, runtime, SSR, and standard library) under Apache-2.0, while the editor is a hosted product.
Pricing: Free tier; enterprise support available.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onlook | Visual editor | Apache-2.0 | Local | React projects |
| WordPress | CMS | GPL-2.0+ | Yes | General sites |
| Webstudio | Site builder | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Designers |
| Builder.io | Visual CMS | MIT SDKs / proprietary platform | No (hosted) | Marketing teams |
| Plasmic | Site builder | MIT / AGPL-3.0 platform | Yes | Teams with developers |
| Drupal | CMS | GPL-2.0+ | Yes | Complex sites |
| Frappe Builder | Site builder | MIT | Yes | Frappe users |
| Silex | Site builder | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | No lock-in |
| Nordcraft | Visual engine | Apache-2.0 (engine) | Yes | Web apps |
Want a visual builder with code control
Webstudio mixes visual editing with HTML and CSS control.
Want to edit a React app visually
Onlook writes visual edits back to your code.
Want static sites on any host
Silex generates 11ty static sites.