head to head · open source
ActivePieces vs magic
ActivePieces has 24,584 GitHub stars, 4,214 forks, 573 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. magic has 1,192 stars, 176 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ActivePieces leads on adoption by 1,962% (24,584 vs 1,192 stars). ActivePieces is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; magic is written in C# under MIT. ActivePieces has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, magic 15%. ActivePieces was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai-agents, mcp), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | magic | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 176 |
| 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 magic if
- You want the magic feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and magic 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 magic
Magic is an MIT licensed low code platform and MCP server, written in C for .NET 10, that turns plain English into a working full stack application — database, secure API, business logic and frontend — running on your own hardware with no vendor lock in.
read the full magic overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ActivePieces or magic more popular?
ActivePieces has 24,584 GitHub stars and magic has 1,192. ActivePieces has the larger community by that measure.
Are ActivePieces and magic free?
Both are open source. ActivePieces has no licence declared in this registry, and magic is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between ActivePieces and magic?
ActivePieces is written in TypeScript and magic in C#. 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 magic?
Choose ActivePieces if you want the larger community (24,584 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose magic if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.