Compare

Administrate gives you generated Rails views to own. You own the maintenance too.

Administrate takes a deliberate position: it generates controllers and views into your Rails app so you can edit them like any other code, rather than hiding behind a DSL. That is a genuinely good trade for a developer-owned back office. It is also more code in your repository for every screen. Jet Admin generates the interface outside your app, and still gives you the code when you want it.

Start building

Compare all builders

Why Jet

Why teams choose Jet Admin

Build with your existing tools and data

Your client portal software runs on the Postgres, MySQL or Mongo you already use — no migration, no second copy of the data.

A database your whole team can use

Browse, filter and edit the data behind your apps in a spreadsheet-style workspace, with two-way sync back to the source.

Visual workflows you can follow

See your app logic as visual workflows your team can follow, with branches, AI steps, Slack and email actions.

Safely share with your whole team

Set clear roles and access rules across apps, forms and data so each team member can access the tools and records they need.

Feature by feature

CAPABILITY

Jet

Administrate

Build on your existing database

Two-way sync & write-back

Edit & own the generated code

Self-hosting & on-premise

White-label & custom domains

Built for internal tools & ops

Granular role-based access

Full support

Partial / limited

Not available

The verdict

So, which should you choose?

Choose the platform that fits your data sources, workflows and access requirements. Jet Admin lets your team build business apps and internal tools on existing data, with visual workflows and access controls. Use the comparison to evaluate the fit for your team.

Administrate

may be better when…

Administrate gives you generated Rails views to own. You own the maintenance too.

Jet Admin is best when…

Your team needs to understand and maintain the app without engineers

You want to see your app logic visually — not hidden in code

You need a database your whole team can browse and work with directly

You want built-in permissions and no per-seat pricing

Import Your App

Already built it in

Administrate

?

Bring it into Jet.

Moving an existing app? Connect your data and rebuild the workflows you need in Jet Admin. If you have exportable React source code, contact our team to check import compatibility. Migration options depend on your current platform.

Follow the import instructions Start building

Frequently asked questions

What is Administrate in Rails?

It is an admin framework from thoughtbot that generates dashboard classes, controllers and views into your application so you can edit them directly, rather than configuring a DSL.

Administrate or Active Admin?

Administrate favors readable generated code you own; Active Admin favors a compact DSL and faster setup. The choice is mostly about whether you want the code in your repo.

Can Jet Admin replace Administrate?

For screens used by people outside engineering, yes. Jet reads the same database and generates the interface without adding files to your Rails app.

Does Jet Admin give me code I can edit?

Yes. Custom components, server-side functions, in-app code editing and 2-way GitHub sync on the Pro plan, so the app can live in your repo.

Do I have to migrate the database?

No. Jet queries your existing database in place and keeps no second copy.

Administrate gives you generated Rails views to own. You own the maintenance too.