head to head · open source
anime vs OpenPencil
anime has 74,225 GitHub stars, 5,044 forks, 118 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. OpenPencil has 9,551 stars, 1,004 forks, 46 open issues and last shipped yesterday. anime leads on adoption by 677% (74,225 vs 9,551 stars). anime is written in JavaScript under MIT; OpenPencil is written in TypeScript under MIT. anime has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, OpenPencil 11%. OpenPencil 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
| anime | OpenPencil | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 74K | ★ 9.6K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-21 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.0K | ⑂ 1.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick anime if
- You weight community size — 74K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenPencil if
- You want the OpenPencil feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and OpenPencil fits your workflow better
About anime
Anime.js Anime.js is a fast, multipurpose and lightweight JavaScript animation library with a simple, yet powerful API. It works with CSS properties, SVG, DOM attributes and JavaScript Objects. Sponsors Anime.js is 100% free and is only made possible with the help of our sponsors. Help the project become sustainable by sponsoring us on GitHub Sponsors . Platinum sponsors Silver sponsors Get featured here by becoming a GitHub Sponsor . Usage Anime.js V4 works by importing ES modules like so: V4 Documentation The full documentation is available here. V3 Migration guide You can find the v3 to v4 migration guide…
read the full anime overview →
About OpenPencil
OpenPencil Open source design editor. Opens .fig and .pen design files, includes built in AI, and ships as a programmable toolkit with a headless Vue SDK for building custom editors. Status: Active development. Usable today, with some rough edges as features evolve. Try it online → · Download · Documentation · Roadmap · llms.txt Installation macOS (Homebrew): Or download from the releases page, or use the web app — no install needed. What it does Opens .fig and .pen files — read and write native Figma files, open supported Pencil documents from the app or OS file browser, copy & paste nodes between apps AI…
read the full OpenPencil overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is anime or OpenPencil more popular?
anime has 74,225 GitHub stars and OpenPencil has 9,551. anime has the larger community by that measure.
Are anime and OpenPencil free?
Both are open source. anime is licensed under MIT and OpenPencil under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between anime and OpenPencil?
anime is written in JavaScript and OpenPencil in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, anime or OpenPencil?
Choose anime if you want the larger community (74,225 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose OpenPencil if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.