head to head · open source
ActivePieces vs btw
ActivePieces has 24,584 GitHub stars, 4,214 forks, 573 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. btw has 1,257 stars, 102 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. ActivePieces leads on adoption by 1,856% (24,584 vs 1,257 stars). ActivePieces is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; btw is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. ActivePieces has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, btw 8%. ActivePieces was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| ActivePieces | btw | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 102 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ActivePieces if
- You weight community size — 25K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick btw if
- You want the btw feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and btw fits your workflow better
About ActivePieces
ActivePieces is an open source, TypeScript based no code automation platform for building AI workflows and exposing integrations as MCP servers, aimed at both technical and non technical users who want Zapier style automation while keeping control of their own data.
read the full ActivePieces overview →
About btw
btw is an open source personal website and blog builder, positioned as a Medium alternative, that lets a writer publish a personal blog in minutes either through the hosted service at btw.so or by self hosting the GPL 3.0 codebase.
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Frequently asked questions
Is ActivePieces or btw more popular?
ActivePieces has 24,584 GitHub stars and btw has 1,257. ActivePieces has the larger community by that measure.
Are ActivePieces and btw free?
Both are open source. ActivePieces has no licence declared in this registry, and btw is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between ActivePieces and btw?
ActivePieces is written in TypeScript and btw in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, ActivePieces or btw?
Choose ActivePieces if you want the larger community (24,584 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose btw if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.