Comparison overview
ContractSpec sits at the intersection of several tool categories. To appreciate its unique offering—typed specifications for back-end, front-end, workflows and policies with a unified web/mobile runtime—this section compares it to related products.
ContractSpec uses runtime adapters to serve typed Operations (Commands/Queries), DataViews, Workflows, and Policies as REST/GraphQL/MCP endpoints. A policy decision point governs every operation, and OverlaySpecs allow non-technical users to personalise screens safely. Few competitors offer this combination of runtime type safety, policy enforcement, and end-user customisation.
Tool categories
| Category | Examples | What they do | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workflow engines | Prefect, Kestra, Temporal, Airflow, Dagster, Hatchet, Windmill | Orchestrate code or data pipelines; handle retries, scheduling and observability | Require writing code; no automatic UI generation or policy enforcement. |
| Internal-tool builders | Retool, Appsmith, ToolJet, Budibase | Drag-and-drop dashboards and admin panels; connect to databases/APIs | No typed back-end spec; limited enforcement of policies; custom code glues logic. |
| Automation platforms | Zapier, Make, n8n, Pipedream | Connect apps via triggers and actions; visual or low-code interfaces | Automate tasks but do not generate full apps or enforce per-field policies. |
| Enterprise orchestrators | Redwood RunMyJobs | Automate mission-critical workloads with self-service portals and SAP integrations | Focus on IT workloads; not built for custom app creation or per-user customisation. |
Use the pages below to explore each group in detail and see how ContractSpec compares.