TL;DR
Directus is an open-source data platform that wraps an existing SQL database with an API and admin UI. Anythink is a fully managed Backend-as-a-Service. Outside of GraphQL support and self-hosting, Anythink covers everything Directus does — and adds payments, full-text search, a more powerful workflow engine, and a complete developer CLI on top.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Anythink | Directus | |---|---|---| | Database | ✓ Managed PostgreSQL, visual schema designer + ERD | ✓ Connects to any SQL database you manage | | Auto REST API | ✓ Generated per entity | ✓ Generated per collection | | GraphQL API | ✗ REST only | ✓ Available | | Admin / visual UI | ✓ Grid, kanban, calendar, map, chart views + form editor | ✓ Configurable data studio | | Roles & permissions | ✓ Custom roles, field-level rules, row-level security (RLS) | ✓ Granular field and row-level permissions | | Social sign-in (OAuth) | ✓ Google OAuth — built-in, no config required | ✓ OAuth 2.0 — requires manual env var setup | | Email templates | ✓ Built-in transactional email templates | ✗ Not included | | Workflow automation | ✓ Multi-step engine: conditions, scripts, cron, webhooks, entity events | ✓ Flows — visual trigger/action, less scriptable | | Payments (Stripe) | ✓ Stripe Connect — one-time + subscriptions built-in | ✗ Not included | | Full-text search | ✓ Built-in search engine | ✗ Database filtering only — no full-text search | | File storage | ✓ Built-in, CDN-served | ✓ Asset management via storage adapters (S3, Azure, local) | | White-labelling | ✓ Supported | ✗ Requires self-hosting to customise branding | | Developer CLI | ✓ Full CLI — schema, data, secrets, auth, workflows | ✗ Basic CLI only (install/DB upgrade) | | Self-hosting | ✗ Managed cloud only | ✓ Open source — self-host available | | Bring your own DB | ✗ Uses Anythink managed DB | ✓ Core use case | | Predictable pricing | ✓ Flat per-project, query allowance included | ✓ Cloud tiers available; self-host for full control |
When Directus Wins
There are three scenarios where Directus is the right call:
- You have an existing database. Directus connects directly to your existing PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, or MariaDB instance — it wraps what you already have. Anythink provisions its own managed database.
- GraphQL is a hard requirement. Directus has a first-class GraphQL API. Anythink is REST only.
- You must self-host. Directus is open source and fully self-hostable for compliance, data sovereignty, or cost reasons. Anythink is a managed cloud platform.
When Anythink Wins
In every other scenario, Anythink is the stronger choice:
- You need payments — Stripe Connect with one-time and subscription billing is built in
- You need full-text search — native search engine, not just database LIKE queries
- Your workflow automation needs script steps, complex conditions, or cron scheduling
- You want email templates without a third-party service
- You want Google OAuth without manually configuring environment variables
- You need white-labelling — rebrand the admin UI for your clients
- A complete developer CLI (schema, data, secrets, auth) matters to your workflow
- You want a fully managed backend — no infrastructure, no database to maintain
Conclusion
Directus is a solid open-source data platform with one defining strength: it connects to your existing database and gives you an API and UI around it. If you need GraphQL, self-hosting, or BYODB, Directus is the right tool.
For everything else — payments, search, a more powerful automation engine, email templates, white-labelling, and a full developer CLI — Anythink is the more complete platform, without requiring you to manage any infrastructure.