Rails Admin
Better knownA zero-configuration admin interface generated from your schema
No ratings yet# Gemfile
gem "rails_admin"Rails Admin vs Trestle
Both replace Forest Admin. Rails Admin is the better-known of the two (7,900 stars), while Trestle also stands in for Retool.
A modern, responsive admin framework that stays out of your models
No ratings yet# Gemfile
gem "trestle"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 2,000.
- Its licence is MIT, which may matter more than the feature list.
What Trestle does
Trestle builds an admin from small per-resource definition files, without asking you to change your models. A resource DSL for tables, forms, scopes and search Bootstrap-based responsive UI Custom admin pages when a resource is not the right shape Hooks for whatever authentication you already run Mounts at /admin . Trestle is LGPL-3.0, not MIT. That is usually fine for a mounted engine, but check it against your own policy before you commit.
Read the full Trestle listing →
Why you might pick it
- It also replaces Retool.
- Its licence is LGPL-3.0, which may matter more than the feature list.
Side by side
Rows where the two differ are marked.
| Rails Admin | Trestle | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Admin and internal tools | Admin and internal tools |
| Replaces (differs) | Forest Admin | Forest Admin, Retool |
| License (differs) | MIT | LGPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars (differs) | 7900 | 2000 |
| Gem (differs) | rails_admin | trestle |
| Mounts at | /admin | /admin |
| Member rating | — | — |
What each one gets off your invoice
Questions
- What is the difference between Rails Admin and Trestle?
- Both replace Forest Admin. Rails Admin is the better-known of the two (7,900 stars), while Trestle also stands in for Retool.
- Can I mount both Rails Admin and Trestle 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 Rails Admin and Trestle replace the same SaaS product?
- Both are listed as replacements for Forest Admin.