Backenly vs Beam
Backenly and Beam are both developer tools tools. Backenly is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Beam is aimed at developers and creators. Beam costs less, from $12/mo versus $25/mo for Backenly. Both have a free plan.
Open-source Postgres backend that coding agents build and maintain
Open individual windows from one Mac as native windows on another
| Pricing | Open source · $25 | Freemium · $12 |
| Starting price | $25/mo | $12/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses, Freelancers | Developers, Creators, Freelancers, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web | macos |
| Country | — | — |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Backenly if
Developers building apps with AI coding agents who want a Postgres backend the agent can create and the platform can maintain safely.
- Open source and self-hostable, including the autonomy engine
- Standard Postgres with pg_dump exports on every plan
- Self-healing and API requests are not billed on any plan
Look elsewhere if: Teams that need a mature ecosystem, long track record or a NoSQL model (Supabase, Firebase).
Choose Beam if
Developers and creators with two Apple silicon Macs who want a remote app to behave like a local window instead of a full screen share.
- Uses one remote app without taking over the whole desktop
- Window traffic goes directly between your Macs, not through Beam's servers
- Free plan has no card requirement and no limit on host Macs
Look elsewhere if: People who need to reach Windows or Intel machines or control a whole remote desktop across platforms (Jump Desktop, Parsec).
Backenly vs Beam pricing
Backenly
- Self-hosted$0Apache-2.0; your servers and Postgres
- Free$0/mo1 project, 512 MB Postgres, 1 GB storage, 2 seats
- Pro$25/moUnlimited projects, 8 GB Postgres; $240/yr billed annually
- EnterpriseCustomSSO (OIDC), custom limits, 12-hour support SLA
Beam
- Free$0Host unlimited Macs, join share links, 20 minutes a day of use
- Monthly$12/moUnlimited use on every Mac you own, send share links
- Yearly$84/yrSame as Monthly; works out to $7/mo billed annually
- Lifetime$199One-time payment, all future updates, direct connections
- Team$12/seat/moOr $84/seat/yr; 20% off from 10 seats, one invoice
Backenly · Key features
- MCP tools that let coding agents build Postgres, auth, storage and functions
- Self-healing loop that checks the backend every minute, with snapshots and undo
- Human approval for destructive or auth-related changes
- PostgREST REST APIs with OpenAPI docs for every table
- Realtime inserts, updates, presence and broadcast over SSE
- Row-level security policies written from plain descriptions
Cons
- Very new platform with a small community
- Free cloud tier lacks triggers, webhooks and custom domains
- Pro caps (100,000 MAU, 8 GB Postgres) are hard unless you buy overages
Beam · Key features
- Single windows from another Mac open as native windows with Dock and Command-Tab entries
- Beam several windows at once or share an entire display
- Direct typing, shortcuts, two-way resizing, app audio and clipboard sync
- Works with headless Mac minis and Mac Studios that have no display
- Encrypted Mac-to-Mac connection on local Wi-Fi or over Tailscale
- Guest share links open one window in any browser, view-only by default
Cons
- macOS only, with Apple silicon and Sonoma or later required on both Macs
- Free use is capped at 20 minutes a day
- Devices without the Mac app, such as phones, only get browser links
Backenly vs Beam: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Backenly or Beam?
Beam starts at $12/mo and Backenly at $25/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Backenly and Beam have a free plan?
Yes, both Backenly and Beam have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.