Xano is a backend builder: a managed PostgreSQL database and REST APIs built as visual function stacks, for any frontend. Luna Park builds the backend and the frontend in one project, with the same visual logic, compiled to Vue and Node.js.

- **Frontend included.** Interface, routes, and tables in one project.
- **Shared types.** The interface calls routes like typed functions.
- **Standard code.** Vue and Node.js you can run without Luna Park.

![The Join Waitlist backend route](https://luna-park.app/static/assets/route-DQo3hM8a.png "A Luna Park route: receive the body, insert a row, return its id.")


## At a glance

Both build backend logic visually on PostgreSQL. The main differences: scope, code export, and hosting.

| | Luna Park | Xano |
|---|---|---|
| **Scope** | [+Full stack] Interface, logic, backend | [~Backend only] Any frontend ([source](https://www.xano.com/)) |
| **Backend logic** | Visual scripting graphs | Function stacks, XanoScript |
| **Database** | PostgreSQL | Managed PostgreSQL ([source](https://docs.xano.com/frequently-asked-questions)) |
| **Types** | [+Shared] Same types front and back | [~Through the API] |
| **Code export** | [+Vue + Node.js source] (Pro) | [~Data, OpenAPI, XanoScript] Runs on Xano ([source](https://docs.xano.com/frequently-asked-questions)) |
| **Hosting** | [+Anywhere] Managed hosting in late 2026 | [~Xano cloud] Self-hosting on custom plans ([source](https://www.xano.com/pricing/)) |
| **Compliance** | [~Your own server] | [+SOC 2, ISO, HIPAA] |
| **Pricing** | Free, or Pro at €25/month or €300 once | Free, then by instance ([source](https://www.xano.com/pricing/)) |

## Example: a waitlist form

Visitors enter their name, email, and favorite ride, and get a ticket number.

::: columns
### Luna Park

1. Create the `Waitlist` table and a route: route input, insert, route output.
2. Place the fields and a button in the same project.
3. On click, a graph calls the route like a function and shows the ticket.

---

### Xano + a frontend

1. Create a `waitlist` table with an auto-increment id.
2. Create a POST endpoint, with an Add Record step.
3. Return the id in the response.
4. Build the form in another tool, such as WeWeb or FlutterFlow, and call the endpoint.
:::

::: gallery
![The click logic of the waitlist form](https://luna-park.app/static/assets/logic-C66duI84.png "In the same project, the button calls the route directly.")

![The Waitlist table in the editor](https://luna-park.app/static/assets/database-BIq5wdGO.png "The Waitlist table, PostgreSQL in the editor and in production.")
:::

## Code export

Xano exports data, API definitions, and XanoScript, while the backend runs on Xano. Luna Park compiles the complete application, frontend and backend, to plain Vue and Node.js.

![The waitlist component compiled to Vue](https://luna-park.app/static/assets/code-BUYWx0sG.png "The waitlist, compiled to Vue and TypeScript.")

## Other differences

- **One tool or two.** With Xano, the frontend lives in a second tool, with its own billing and login. In Luna Park, the interface calls a [route](/docs/backend-data/routes) like a function, with shared [types](/docs/logic/scripts#type-files).
- **Scale and compliance.** Xano brings managed scaling and certifications. Luna Park apps run on your own server, standard Node.js and PostgreSQL.
- **App map.** One view shows which components call which routes, and which routes write which tables.

![The app map of Sunset Park](https://luna-park.app/static/assets/map-BKfoCy_I.png "The Waitlist section calls the Join Waitlist route, which writes to the Waitlist table.")

## Which one to choose?

::: columns
### Luna Park

- You want frontend and backend in one tool.
- You want the code of the whole application.
- You want flat costs.

---

### Xano

- You need a backend for an existing frontend tool.
- You need certified compliance (HIPAA, SOC 2).
- You want several frontends on one API.
:::

## Before switching

- Until [managed hosting](/pricing) launches in late 2026, you [host the backend](/docs/deployment/deployment) yourself, with your own compliance.

::: info
Based on Xano as of October 2026. See [xano.com](https://www.xano.com) for current features and prices.
:::