A kintone alternative that lets you export real code
kintone runs your apps on Cybozu’s cloud. d-bye generates the same kind of business apps (inventory, approvals, attendance, contacts) as your full source code — screens, APIs, and database — exports them as a ZIP, and lets you run them on your own infrastructure. The code is yours — no vendor lock-in.
Where kintone starts to feel limiting
You can’t take the app out as source code
You can export records via CSV or cli-kintone, but you cannot take the app’s screens and logic out as source code to run on your own server. kintone is cloud-only with no self-hosting.
Complex requirements mean customization — with limits and cost
Anything beyond the standard is built with JavaScript, plugins, and the REST API (plugins/API require the Standard plan or higher). There are limits — up to 30 JS/CSS files and 20 plugins per app, ~100 concurrent API requests — and direct DOM manipulation is discouraged. The more complex the requirement, the higher the build/maintenance cost.
Per-user pricing scales with headcount
Pricing is per user (after the Nov 2024 revision: Light ¥1,000 / Standard ¥1,800 per user/month, ex-tax, minimum 10 users). Costs grow as your team grows.
How d-bye differs — the same business app, as code you own
d-bye treats the design spec as the single source of truth: you design screens, DB, flows, and permissions visually, then generate a full set of working code.
- ✓Stack: React/TypeScript front end, backend (multi-language), database schema (DDL). See supported languages & databases
- ✓Export everything as a ZIP. Unzip, run, and deploy to any infrastructure (VPS, cloud, on-prem).
- ✓Every generation must pass type checks and a compile check before export.
- ✓Start from working templates: inventory, approvals, attendance, and contact management.
Where kintone gives you “a business app that runs on a platform,” d-bye generates “the business app’s code that becomes yours.”
Comparison
| kintone | d-bye | |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery | Cloud SaaS (runs on Cybozu’s cloud) | Design tool + code generation (you run the output) |
| Take the output out | Data exportable via CSV/CLI; the app implementation is not portable as source | Full source exported as a ZIP |
| Self-host / on-prem | Cloud-only (no self-hosting) | Deploy to any infrastructure |
| Primary users | Mostly non-engineers | Mostly engineers |
| Customization | Standard + JS / plugins / REST API (Standard plan+, with limits) | Plain code after generation — effectively unlimited |
| Templates | Rich app & plugin ecosystem | Inventory, approvals, attendance, contacts (FK, approval, roles) |
| Ops / maintenance | Handled by the cloud (easy) | On you (the flip side of owning the code) |
| Pricing | Per user (Light ¥1,000 / Standard ¥1,800 ex-tax, min 10 users) | Sandbox ¥0 / Personal ¥2,980+ (per seat, full export) |
Pricing and specs change. Please check each vendor’s official site for the latest (checked 2026-06).
Which should you choose? (an honest split)
kintone fits when: building and operating is led by non-engineers; standard features plus plugins cover your needs; you want the cloud to handle maintenance.
d-bye fits when: you have engineers; you want to own the code as an asset; you want to run it on your own infrastructure; you need complex business logic freely; you want to avoid lock-in.
If unsure, try the free Sandbox first: open the inventory or approval template as a working preview and check the quality of the generated code.
FAQ
- Can you export the source code of an app built in kintone?
- You can export records (CSV / cli-kintone), but you cannot take the app’s screens and logic out as source code to run on your own server (cloud-only). d-bye generates the equivalent business app as real code and exports it as a ZIP you can run on your own infrastructure.
- Can non-engineers use d-bye?
- d-bye is built for engineers. Templates and AI drafting make it easy to start, but it assumes you can work with code. If building and operating is led by non-engineers, kintone is often the better fit.
- Can I migrate from kintone?
- There is no automatic migration tool. You rebuild equivalent apps (inventory, approvals, attendance, contacts) from templates, and move data via CSV as appropriate.
- How much does it cost?
- d-bye is free (Sandbox) for design and preview; ZIP export and full-code view are on Personal (¥2,980/month, per seat) and up. kintone is per user (Standard ¥1,800/user/month ex-tax, min 10 users = from ¥18,000/month, as of Nov 2024). The models differ, so compare by headcount vs. owning the code.
- Which teams is it for?
- Teams with engineers that want to own the code, run it on their own infrastructure, and avoid vendor lock-in.
Next step
- →Try the inventory template as a working preview for free → generate the code if you like it
- →The same flow works for approvals / attendance / contact templates
- →Full download requires Personal or higher (design and preview are free, no credit card)