m-Power vs Mendix

Mendix is an enterprise platform for large development teams standardizing on one tool. m-Power is for small IT teams with big backlogs: Custom screens, your own business rules and live ERP data, on your own servers. You can change anything in an m-Power app, down to the code.

Mendix fits if

  • A large development team is standardizing on one enterprise platform.
  • You already run Kubernetes, or want Mendix to run the cloud.
  • SAP is a big part of your landscape.

m-Power fits if

  • The business keeps asking for things no template covers.
  • Your apps need to read and write your ERP or other databases, live.
  • The apps have to run on your own servers, under your own security.
  • You want anyone in the business to use them, with no user fees.
  • You want experienced consultants who can step in and build with you.
Get a Demo See the side-by-side

Five reasons IT teams pick m-Power over Mendix

01 · Customization

You won't hit a wall

Every app starts from a template that already has the screens, security and standard features built. From there, you can change anything.

  • The look, down to the pixel. The front end is standard HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Bootstrap, so any web designer can restyle it.
  • Your own business rules. Plug in your own code and routines your team already wrote.
  • Other systems. Call outside APIs and services from any app.
  • The code itself. Open the code view and edit the HTML, CSS or Java directly.
"There are very few instances I've run into with m-Power where I'm hitting a brick wall and the software itself is a limiter." Case Escher, Employee Services Consultant, The Partners Group
With Mendix

You build in Mendix's visual modeler. Custom code goes into Java actions, JavaScript actions and React widgets built with Mendix's own tools.

In Mendix's newer React client, older Dojo widgets and the old data grid widget are no longer supported.

Source: Mendix docs on the React client and Java actions, checked November 2026.

02 · People behind you

Our consultants can step in on any project

When you buy m-Power, you also get the people who build with it every day. Use as much or as little of them as you need.

You call.An m-Power consultant answers. They've usually built what you're asking about.
They build with you.Our team works next to yours on the project, so the know-how stays in-house.
Or they build it for you.Short on hands? Hand off the whole project and get back a finished app you own.

96% of first-time services clients come back for more work.

With Mendix

Licensed customers pick a Standard or Premium support level.

Help building apps comes from Mendix Expert Services or a verified partner.

Source: Mendix support and Expert Services pages, checked November 2026.

03 · Your data, your servers

It runs where your data already lives

m-Power installs on your server or in your cloud. Apps read and write your existing database live, so there's no copy to keep in sync.

  • Any JDBC database: Db2 on IBM i, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL and more.
  • A standard Java server: Tomcat on Windows, Linux or IBM i. There's no cluster to build first.
  • Your sign-on: SAML, OAuth2 or Active Directory. Users and roles stay where they are.
  • Your security review covers your own environment, because that's where everything runs.
With Mendix

Apps run in Mendix Cloud by default. Kubernetes, private cloud and server setups are options, and Mendix's pricing page marks them as extra cost.

Mendix says compute isn't included in its license price.

Source: Mendix pricing page, checked November 2026.

04 · No user fees

Let anyone in the business use it

m-Power is one of the few low-code platforms you can buy with a perpetual license. That means unlimited users, apps and data, with no extra fees for any of them.

So the app that starts with one team can go to every department, and to your customers and suppliers too. You can scale up without paying more for it.

Unlimitedusers
Unlimitedapps
Unlimiteddata
With Mendix

Mendix is priced per user. Anonymous users are free.

Plans for one app or unlimited apps have the same features. The difference is price.

Source: Mendix pricing page, checked November 2026.

05 · Ownership

You own what you build

m-Power builds standard, readable Java and HTML, the kind of code you can hire for on the open market. The apps run on a standard Java server, and they keep running without m-Power. With a perpetual license, you keep the software and every app, even if you stop paying for maintenance.

With Mendix

Without a license, a Mendix app stops after 2 to 4 hours and allows 6 users at a time. Each environment needs its own license.

Source: Mendix docs on licensing apps outside Mendix Cloud, checked November 2026.

Side by side

Mendixm-Power
Where the apps runMendix Cloud, or Kubernetes and servers at extra costYour servers or your cloud
Where the data livesMendix's database, plus connections to SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL or SnowflakeYour existing databases, read and written live
How you customizeVisual models, Java and JavaScript actions, React widgetsTemplates, a visual designer, your own code, and direct edits to HTML, CSS and Java
Hosting costsCompute isn't included in the license priceRuns on servers you already have
User feesPer user; anonymous users are freeNone. Users, apps and data are unlimited.
If you stop payingApps stop after 2 to 4 hours and allow 6 users at a timeYou keep the software and every app
Help building appsMendix Expert Services or a partnerOur consultants build with you or for you
SupportStandard or Premium support levelConsultants who build with m-Power every day
Best atEnterprise platforms for large development teamsBusiness apps, reports, portals and AI tools over your ERP

Sources, all on Mendix's own site: Mendix pricing, React client, external databases, licensing apps outside Mendix Cloud, Expert Services. Checked November 2026. Vendors change their terms, so check before you sign anything.

Where Mendix is the better pick

An enterprise name

Mendix has been owned by Siemens since 2018, and procurement teams at big companies know it.

Many places to deploy

Mendix Cloud, Kubernetes, private clouds and SAP BTP are all options for companies with strict rules on where apps run.

Built for big teams

Its modeler, marketplace and collaboration tools are made for many developers working on the same set of apps.

“

I can now do five projects in the time that I would have done one project.

Roisin Bowen, Systems Developer, Autochair

Questions we hear during evaluations

Don't see yours? Ask us. You'll get an answer from someone who builds with m-Power every day.

Send us a note

Page updated November 2026

Is m-Power an alternative to Mendix?

Yes. Both build custom business apps. Teams usually pick m-Power when the apps have to run on their own servers over their existing databases, when they want consultants who can build with them, or when they don't want user fees. Users, apps and data are unlimited.

Yes, on Kubernetes or on Windows and Linux servers that you or a hosting partner manage. Mendix's pricing page marks those options as extra cost, and compute isn't included in the license price.

Not automatically, because Mendix apps are built in Mendix's own tools. The data is the easy part: m-Power builds over the databases you already have, so you rebuild the screens and keep the data where it is.

No. People who know their data can build working apps from the templates without writing code. Developers can go further, adding their own logic, calling APIs or editing the code directly. If your team is short on time, our consultants can build with you or build the app for you.

Db2, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Progress, Snowflake and any other database with a JDBC driver. m-Power builds over them where they are, so nothing moves. See the technical specs.
See it over your own data

Bring one request from your backlog

We'll build it live, on your data, so you can see how far m-Power goes. Ask us anything about how it compares.

Get a Demo How perpetual licensing works