head to head · open source
Apache Superset vs ara
Apache Superset has 75,387 GitHub stars, 18,570 forks, 588 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ara has 2,024 stars, 181 forks, 133 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. Apache Superset leads on adoption by 3,625% (75,387 vs 2,024 stars). Apache Superset is written in Python under Apache-2.0; ara is written in Python under GPL-3.0. Apache Superset has attracted 25% as many forks as stars, ara 9%. Apache Superset 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
| Apache Superset | ara | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 75K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-07-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 181 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Apache Superset if
- You weight community size — 75K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ara if
- You want the ara feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and ara fits your workflow better
About Apache Superset
Superset A modern, enterprise ready business intelligence web application. Documentation User Guide — For analysts and business users. Explore data, build charts, create dashboards, and connect databases. Administrator Guide — Install, configure, and operate Superset. Covers security, scaling, and database drivers. Developer Guide — Contribute to Superset or build on its REST API and extension framework. Why Superset? Supported Databases Release Notes Get Involved Resources Organizations Using Superset Why Superset? Superset is a modern data exploration and data visualization platform. Superset can replace or…
read the full Apache Superset overview →
About ara
ARA Records Ansible ARA Records Ansible and makes it easier to understand and troubleshoot. It is another recursive acronym with a focus on simplicity. About ara ara provides Ansible reporting by recording ansible and ansible playbook commands regardless of how and where they run: from most Linux distributions and even on Mac OS (as long as python = 3.10 is available) from tools that run Ansible like ansible (pull test runner navigator), AWX & Automation Controller (Tower), Molecule and Semaphore from a terminal, a script or by hand from a laptop, desktop, server, virtual machine, container or execution…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Superset or ara more popular?
Apache Superset has 75,387 GitHub stars and ara has 2,024. Apache Superset has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache Superset and ara free?
Both are open source. Apache Superset is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ara under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache Superset and ara?
Apache Superset is written in Python and ara in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Apache Superset or ara?
Choose Apache Superset if you want the larger community (75,387 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose ara if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.