ActiveAdmin
Better knownThe long-standing Rails admin framework, mounted at /admin
No ratings yet# Gemfile
gem "activeadmin"ActiveAdmin vs Rails Admin
Both replace Forest Admin. ActiveAdmin is the better-known of the two (9,600 stars), while Rails Admin covers a narrower slice of the same job.
A zero-configuration admin interface generated from your schema
No ratings yet# Gemfile
gem "rails_admin"What ActiveAdmin does
ActiveAdmin has been the default answer to "we need an admin" in Rails for over a decade, and it is still maintained. A DSL for registering resources Filters, scopes, batch actions and CSV export Custom pages and dashboard sections Authorization adapters for CanCan and Pundit The DSL is powerful and opinionated. Deviating from it costs more than it does in Administrate, where you are editing ordinary generated views.
Read the full ActiveAdmin listing →
Why you might pick it
- It also replaces Retool.
What Rails Admin does
RailsAdmin introspects your models and gives you a working admin with no per-model configuration. CRUD for every model it finds, immediately Search, filters and export A history of changes A configuration DSL for when the defaults are wrong Zero configuration means it exposes everything by default, including models you did not mean to expose. Gate the mount and configure visibility before this goes anywhere near production.
Side by side
Rows where the two differ are marked.
| ActiveAdmin | Rails Admin | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Admin and internal tools | Admin and internal tools |
| Replaces (differs) | Forest Admin, Retool | Forest Admin |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars (differs) | 9600 | 7900 |
| Gem (differs) | activeadmin | rails_admin |
| Mounts at | /admin | /admin |
| Member rating | — | — |
What each one gets off your invoice
Questions
- What is the difference between ActiveAdmin and Rails Admin?
- Both replace Forest Admin. ActiveAdmin is the better-known of the two (9,600 stars), while Rails Admin covers a narrower slice of the same job.
- Can I mount both ActiveAdmin and Rails Admin in the same Rails app?
- Technically yes — engines mount at different paths — but they overlap, so running both usually means two sets of tables doing one job. Pick one.
- Do ActiveAdmin and Rails Admin replace the same SaaS product?
- Both are listed as replacements for Forest Admin.