REI3 in comparison

Is Mendix a good alternative to REI3? We chose to compare Mendix Basic and REI3 Professional as they offer similar functionality.

References:

Mendix

REI3

	Mendix Basic	REI3 Professional	Details
Deployment
Infrastructure	on-premise, private cloud, public cloud	on-premise, private cloud (self-hosted)	Mendix supports many infrastructure scenarios, with a strong focus on cloud. On-premise deployment is also available. REI3 runs locally, in the cloud or from a USB stick. REI3 is not yet offered in a public cloud - private cloud hosting is available on request.
Operating systems	Windows Server, Linux	Windows Server, Linux	Mendix supports x64 on the backend. REI3 supports x64 and arm64 processors and runs on almost any server, including Raspberry Pis.
Corporate identity / branding		company logo, color, link, welcome text
Offline server			REI3 does not require any internet access. Updates and applications can also be installed offline.
User experience
Client access	browser, PWA or client app	browser or PWA	Mendix offers multiple ways to deploy to clients, including mobile native wrappers that offer native-like user experience.
Mobile devices	browser, apps for iOS & Android	browser or PWA, optimized user interfaces	REI3 can be installed on mobile devices as progressive web app (PWA). Cached applications help achieve very fast response times.
Offline client			Mendix offers full offline-ready clients.
Local file access	with client app	with client app (Windows, Linux, MacOS)	REI3 includes a client app that can open and edit files locally with one click.
Print function
PDF generation
ActiveDirectory / SSO			REI3 supports user import, role assignment and same-sign-on via LDAP/ActiveDirectory.
Calendar sync		unlimited calendars via ICS	Mendix offers many ways to work with calendar data, including options for writing back.
Data & storage
Record count	unlimited	unlimited
Database size	unlimited	unlimited
Change history
Data im-/export
Access control	applications, pages, workflows, database objects	applications, tables, attributes, records	Mendix offers access to rules to finely control access to database objects. REI3 can assign roles via ActiveDirectory group memberships.
SQL access	locally yes, limited in public cloud		REI3 keeps data human readable and accessible for reporting.
Backups	daily automatic backups, manual also possible	as many/often as desired	REI3 also offers an integrated backup system for convenience.
Database systems	MariaDB, MS SQL-Server, Azure SQL, MySQL, Oracle, SAP HANA, IBM DB2, PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL	REI3 also offers an integrated database system for convenience.
Low code development
Predefined field types
Views	tables, cards, forms, charts, gantts, calendars, kanbans, pivots, maps and more	tables, cards, forms, charts, gantts, calendars, kanbans
Data manipulation	functions on the client and on the server side	frontend & backend functions	REI3 authors can directly access data. From working with translations, to email parsing and time calculations - data can be processed in the frontend and on the server side.
Automation	triggers, scheduled functions	triggers, scheduled functions
Application templates	large number of applications ready to be used, can be connected to via APIs	production ready applications to use and build on
Ownership	database exports & export of applications (owned and sellable by the author)	database exports & export of applications (signed, owned and sellable by the author)	Mendix applications are the intellectual property of the developer. They can be sold on the Mendix Marketplace. REI3 applications are fully owned by the application author. They can be installed on other systems, sold and used as foundation for new applications.
Interfaces
Mail sending	unlimited	unlimited	Mendix can basically do anything with email. REI3 was already used to build custom mail compaign solutions.
Mail receiving			Mendix can fetch and parse emails. REI3 can fetch and parse emails; a ticket system with advanced mailing capabilities exists for REI3.
REST access	unlimited	unlimited	REI3 can both serve as REST server as well as call external REST endpoints.
Security
Transport encryption (TLS/SSL)
End-to-end encryption at rest			Mendix modules for encrypting data end-to-end are available. REI3 includes an integrated user key management, to enable easy-to-use, but secure end-to-end encryption. Encrypted data stays protected even in case of theft.
Password policy
Open source code			Mendix is built on open-source software, but is not itself open-source.
GDPR conformity	attainable	attainable	GDPR conformity is not a simple product feature; it depends on many factors, for which a product can be well-suited for or not.
Costs and services
Software updates included
Email support
Premium support			Mendix offers premium support with Premium licensing. REI3 offers premium support on request.
Vendor lock-in	closed-source, self-hosting with license	open-source, self-hosting for free	Mendix apps are property of their developers, but licenses are required for continued use. REI3 is an open application platform; applications can be used and updates installed without paying for support services. The database is human readable and can be used without REI3.
Special conditions for educational and charity organizations
Country of origin	United States of America	Germany
Pricing	10,00 € per user per app per month	2,50 € - 5,00 € per user and month	Mendix offers lower prices for higher user counts. REI3 user prices scale with count, more are cheaper.