Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

AppWrite VS Thonny

Compare AppWrite VS Thonny and see what are their differences

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AppWrite logo AppWrite

Appwrite provides web and mobile developers with a set of easy-to-use and integrate REST APIs to manage their core backend needs.

Thonny logo Thonny

Python IDE for beginners
  • AppWrite Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-28
  • Thonny Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-15

AppWrite features and specs

  • Open Source
    AppWrite is an open-source platform, allowing developers to inspect, modify, and contribute to the code base, ensuring transparency and flexibility.
  • Self-Hosted
    Being self-hosted, AppWrite gives developers complete control over their data and server environment, enhancing security and customization options.
  • Comprehensive Backend
    AppWrite offers a wide range of backend services out-of-the-box, including authentication, database management, storage, and serverless functions, reducing the need for additional third-party services.
  • Multi-Language Support
    AppWrite supports various programming languages, which makes it versatile and developer-friendly, allowing the integration with different tech stacks.
  • Community and Documentation
    AppWrite has an active community and well-documented guides, tutorials, and API references, which are essential for learning and troubleshooting.

Possible disadvantages of AppWrite

  • Resource Intensive
    Being a self-hosted solution, AppWrite may require significant server resources for optimal performance, which can be costly.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    The initial setup and configuration can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for those less experienced with server management.
  • Limited Third-Party Integrations
    As compared to some other backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platforms, AppWrite has fewer pre-built third-party integrations, which might limit its extensibility.
  • Newer and Evolving
    AppWrite is relatively new and still evolving, which can mean fewer features compared to more mature platforms and the potential for more bugs.
  • Maintenance Responsibility
    Since it is self-hosted, the responsibility for server maintenance, updates, and security falls solely on the user, which can be a drawback for smaller teams or solo developers.

Thonny features and specs

  • Beginner-Friendly Interface
    Thonny is designed with simplicity in mind, which makes it ideal for beginners. The interface is clean and intuitive, helping new users to focus on learning Python without being overwhelmed by unnecessary features.
  • Integrated Python Debugger
    Thonny comes with a built-in debugger that allows users to step through their code line by line. This feature helps in understanding the flow of the program and is especially useful for debugging and learning.
  • Simple Variable Inspector
    The variable inspector in Thonny provides a clear and straightforward view of variables and their values, helping users to better understand how data changes as the program runs.
  • Preinstalled with Python
    Thonny comes with Python preinstalled, which makes the setup process easier for beginners. Users donโ€™t have to worry about separate Python installation and can start coding right away.
  • Support for MicroPython
    Thonny supports MicroPython, making it a suitable choice for programming microcontrollers and embedded systems. This expands its usability beyond just desktop applications.
  • Educational Focus
    Thonny includes features specifically designed for educational purposes, such as highlighting syntax errors and visualizing code execution, which helps students grasp programming concepts more effectively.

Possible disadvantages of Thonny

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While Thonny is great for beginners, it lacks some advanced features found in other IDEs like PyCharm or Visual Studio Code. This may hinder users as they advance and need more complex workflows and customizations.
  • Performance Issues with Large Projects
    Thonny may not perform efficiently with large-scale projects or extremely large files, potentially causing lag or crashes, which could be a limitation for more extensive development work.
  • Plugin Ecosystem
    Thonny's plugin ecosystem is not as robust as some other IDEs. Users might find fewer extensions and customizations available, which can limit its functionality for certain workflows.
  • Limited Language Support
    Thonny is designed primarily for Python and lacks support for other programming languages. This makes it less flexible for developers who work with multiple languages.
  • Basic Editor Features
    Essential features such as intelligent code completion, refactoring tools, and version control integration are present but not as sophisticated as in more professional IDEs, which could limit productivity for seasoned developers.
  • Less Frequent Updates
    Compared to more popular and commercially-backed IDEs, Thonny receives less frequent updates. This could mean slower adoption of new Python features and slower fixes for bugs.

Analysis of AppWrite

Overall verdict

  • AppWrite is a solid option for developers looking for an open-source backend solution with robust features. Its well-documented APIs and active community support make it a viable choice for both small projects and growing applications.

Why this product is good

  • AppWrite is considered a good choice, particularly for its comprehensive backend-as-a-service (BaaS) features that cater to web and mobile developers. It provides a suite of services such as user authentication, databases, file storage, and serverless functions, allowing developers to streamline their development process. Its open-source nature means developers have access to the full code base and the community-drive contributions, ensuring transparency and continuous improvements. AppWrite also emphasizes developer experience, offering easy integration with client-side SDKs and providing extensive documentation.

Recommended for

    AppWrite is recommended for developers building applications who require a scalable backend solution without the overhead of managing infrastructure. It is particularly suited for developers who prefer open-source platforms and those who want to avoid vendor lock-in. AppWrite's features make it a good fit for startups, hobby projects, and even educational purposes where full control over the backend is desirable.

Analysis of Thonny

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Thonny is highly regarded as a good choice for beginner programmers, particularly those starting with Python. It effectively balances simplicity and functionality, making it an excellent tool for educational purposes.

Why this product is good

  • Thonny is a beginner-friendly Python IDE designed to make programming more accessible and understandable for newcomers. It offers an intuitive interface, a simple debugger, and features like variable tracing and expression evaluation that are particularly helpful for beginners. Its design minimizes distractions and helps in focusing on learning the basics of programming without being overwhelmed by complex features.

Recommended for

  • Beginners learning Python.
  • Educational environments and coding classrooms.
  • Users who prefer a simple and clean interface without extra complexity.
  • Those interested in a straightforward setup to start coding quickly.

AppWrite videos

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Thonny videos

Thonny - a Python IDE for beginners

More videos:

  • Review - Step Through Python Scripts With Thonny
  • Review - Introducing Thonny

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to AppWrite and Thonny)
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Text Editors
0 0%
100% 100
Backend As A Service
100 100%
0% 0
IDE
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare AppWrite and Thonny

AppWrite Reviews

  1. Appwrite is awesome, free and open-source!

    I've use it instead of Firebase on a 15$ DigitalOcean droplet and saved around ~$150 a month. Managing my own infra does take some extra time, but definitely worth it. The APIs and SDK are also surprisingly much easier to consume than Firebase. Waiting for the cloud version.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Firebase
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Easy to use|Cost effective|Open-source|Great user experience|Super simple|Self hosted
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    Self hosted

10 Top Firebase Alternatives to Ignite Your Development in 2024
Appwriteโ€™s self-hosted nature gives you complete control over your data and infrastructure, great for those who are security-conscious. It also offers a comprehensive set of features, including user authentication, database management, storage, cloud functions, and more. Itโ€™s like having your very own Firebase, but on your terms.
Source: genezio.com
Top 7 Firebase Alternatives for App Development in 2024
Appwrite is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform that provides a comprehensive set of tools and APIs to help developers build modern applications. It focuses on simplicity and developer experience.
Source: signoz.io
Best Serverless Backend Tools of 2023: Pros & Cons, Features & Code Examples
Appwrite is a self-hosted BaaS platform giving you all the tools you need to build all sorts of application.
Source: www.rowy.io
2023 Firebase Alternatives: Top 10 Open-Source & Free
Appwrite permits the development to benefit from its open-source version without paying anything. However, its official website also declares that it will share the pricing details for Appwrite Cloud soon.
12 Best Open-source Database Backend Server and Google Firebase Alternatives
Appwrite is a self-hosted backend server for building web, mobile and desktop apps. It supports multiple applications natively without hacks or workarounds.It features a dashboard for apps, database, user, functions and storage management, real-time analytics per project, live connections monitor, background tasks and webhooks.Appwrite also is suitable for creating Geo-data...
Source: medevel.com

Thonny Reviews

  1. steve
    ยท retired ยท
    I like Thonny

    I started an on-line python course that used Pycharm as its basis. I had previously used Thonny to look at code for various programs. I found Pycharm to be over-featured for a beginner like me. Thonny seems much more on my level so I am continuing the course using it instead. And successfully I might add.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, AppWrite should be more popular than Thonny. It has been mentiond 178 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

AppWrite mentions (178)

  • Creating a Chatbot that actually Stands Out! (vibe coded version)๐Ÿฆ–
    Initially, I was using the Supabase free tier, but I was hitting the limits, and my app was becoming stale. Then I switched to Appwrite. Both are totally different; one is SQL, while the latter one is NoSQL. Although use node-appwrite package to skip the manual schema add-ons. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • The future of coding: Cursor, AI, and the rise of backend automation with Appwrite
    Appwrite is an open-source platform that simplifies backend setup by providing authentication, databases, storage, functions, and hosting all in one place. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • How to Use Appwrite in Android Jetpack Compose
    I love Appwrite. My first hackathon was actually from Appwrite (using Appwrite) 2 years ago, and I've been using it ever since. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (July 2025)
    Appwrite | Remote | Platform Engineers, AI, Interns | https://www.appwrite.careers Appwrite (https://appwrite.io) is an open-source backend platform that helps developers build secure web and mobile apps faster. Weโ€™re hiring engineers across multiple teams to improve infrastructure, expand developer tooling, and scale our platform. Open roles: โ€“ Platform Engineer. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Build a React File Sharing App with Granular Access Controls (ReBAC)
    Appwrite is a backend-as-a-service platform that provides authentication, storage, and database. Appwrite is used for authentication and storage. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

Thonny mentions (113)

  • Hacking with Raspberry Pico: Data Exfiltration with a Captive Portal
    The Pico reboots itself. Then, open the Thonny IDE, configure the interpreter to "MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico)", and select your connected board. Using Thonny's file explorer, you can add the required library. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Adafruit: Arduino's rules are 'incompatible with Open Source'
    There is a version of Thonny[1] designed for use with the Pico that is great for education. Raspberry Pi have some good resources on getting started[2]. If your target audience is school kids, you really can't go past the micro:bit and Makecode[3]. 1. https://thonny.org 2. https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/getting-started-with-the-pico/2 3. https://makecode.microbit.org. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Essential Software for Hardware Hackers: Your First IDE & Tools
    Raspberry Pi Pico (MicroPython): The Thonny IDE is highly recommended and often pre-installed in Raspberry Pi OS. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Antirez/load81: SDL based Lua programming environment for kids similar to Codea
    The nice thing about Python is that because it's so pervasive as a teaching language, there are many tools for it that specifically cater to this niche. In particular, https://thonny.org is very nice for explaining basic programming concepts like expression evaluation and function calls. And yeah, turtle graphics is the time-honored method of teaching things like loops, recursion, and parametrization via functions... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Python: From Beginners to Pro in 30 Mins (Part 1)
    Thonny or IDLE are great starting points for beginners due to their simplicity. As you become more comfortable, VS Code or PyCharm Community Edition offers more features to help you develop your skills. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing AppWrite and Thonny, you can also consider the following products

Supabase - An open source Firebase alternative

PyCharm - Python & Django IDE with intelligent code completion, on-the-fly error checking, quick-fixes, and much more...

Firebase - Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.

IDLE - Default IDE which come installed with the Python programming language.

Clerk - Clerk.io, the artificial intelligence for e-commerce that knows your customers interests.

PyDev - PyDev is a third-party plug-in for Eclipse.