A configuration-driven admin panel and internal tools framework
5.0 · 4 ratings# Gemfile
gem "avo"Avo vs Rails Admin
Both replace Forest Admin. Rails Admin is the better-known of the two (7,900 stars), while Avo also stands in for Retool.
Rails Admin
Better knownA zero-configuration admin interface generated from your schema
No ratings yet# Gemfile
gem "rails_admin"What Avo does
Avo builds an admin panel from resource definitions, and goes past CRUD with custom actions, filters and dashboard cards. Resource classes describing fields, filters and actions Custom actions that run Ruby against selected records Dashboards with metric and chart cards Authorization through Pundit policies Mounts at /avo by default. The community edition is MIT. Several features are in the paid tiers. Check before you plan around one.
Why you might pick it
- It also replaces Retool.
- Members here rate it higher, at 5.0 against 0.0.
- Its licence is Community edition MIT; advanced features commercial, which may matter more than the feature list.
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.
Read the full Rails Admin listing →
Why you might pick it
- It has substantially more adoption — 7,900 stars against 2,400.
- Its licence is MIT, which may matter more than the feature list.
Side by side
Rows where the two differ are marked.
| Avo | Rails Admin | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Admin and internal tools | Admin and internal tools |
| Replaces (differs) | Forest Admin, Retool | Forest Admin |
| License (differs) | Community edition MIT; advanced features commercial | MIT |
| GitHub stars (differs) | 2400 | 7900 |
| Gem (differs) | avo | rails_admin |
| Mounts at (differs) | /avo | /admin |
| Member rating (differs) | 5.0 | — |
What each one gets off your invoice
Questions
- What is the difference between Avo and Rails Admin?
- Both replace Forest Admin. Rails Admin is the better-known of the two (7,900 stars), while Avo also stands in for Retool.
- Can I mount both Avo 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 Avo and Rails Admin replace the same SaaS product?
- Both are listed as replacements for Forest Admin.