Side by side
B4X vs Codename One
Both stand on mobile development ides. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+2
B4X spans mobile, desktop, server and IoT development, with free tools and paid licenses. Review B4i's requirements and hosted builder limit if iOS development is part of your plans.
Visit B4X Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+5
Codename One offers a shared-codebase framework with native interfaces and multiple app targets. The free cloud tier has build-credit and JAR-size limits; paid plans start at $25/user/mo (annual).
Visit Codename OneThe facts
| B4X | Codename One | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | Android, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Windows | Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | B4A Standard: $59, paid once | Basic: $25 a month |
| Plans published | 10 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | b4x.com | codenameone.com |
| On mobile development ides | #2 of 41 | #1 of 41 |
B4X: what it does well
- B4A, B4R and B4J are free for commercial use
- Projects can share 90%+ of code
- Includes a visual UI designer
- B4J supports desktop, server and IoT work
- B4i Standard costs 59.00 USD once
What to know first
- B4i requires an Apple developer account costing $99 per year
- Hosted Mac Builder supports projects up to 50mb
- B4i IDE requires Windows 7 64-bit or a VM
Codename One: what it does well
- Targets Android, iOS, macOS, web, Linux, and Windows
- Supports native platform interfaces
- Commercial use has no royalties or per-app fees
- Projects use Maven
What to know first
- Free cloud tier has 100 monthly build credits
- Each iOS cloud build uses eight credits
- Free tier limits user JARs to 8.5 MB
Alternatives to B4X Alternatives to Codename One The whole list