Directus
Tally
| Feature | Directus | Tally |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $99/mo | Free / from $29/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, agencies, content-teams, enterprise-backends | startups, freelancers, no-code-builders, researchers |
| Founded | 2016 | 2020 |
| Auto Generated Apis | ✓ | ✗ |
| Admin Panel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Roles And Permissions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Flows Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| File Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Translations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Form Builder | ✗ | ✓ |
| Conditional Logic | ✗ | ✓ |
| Payments | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Uploads | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Domains | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calculations | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Directus Pros
- Works with existing databases
- Beautiful admin interface
- REST + GraphQL APIs auto-generated
- Fully self-hostable
✗ Directus Cons
- Cloud pricing jumps to $99/mo
- Complex features require developer knowledge
- Documentation could be better organized
✓ Tally Pros
- Unlimited forms and responses on free plan
- Document-style editor (no drag-and-drop complexity)
- Built-in payment collection via Stripe
- Conditional logic and calculations included free
✗ Tally Cons
- Less design customization than Typeform
- Pro plan needed for custom domains and file uploads
- Limited reporting and analytics built-in
The Verdict
Directus is built for developers and agencies, with a focus on auto-generated-apis and admin-panel. Tally targets startups and freelancers and leads with form-builder and conditional-logic.
On pricing, Tally is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $29/mo compared to $99/mo for Directus. That $70/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Tally offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Directus takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Tally has a slight overall edge — but if works with existing databases matters most to you, Directus may still be the right call.