head to head · open source
Appwrite vs extension.js
Appwrite has 57,854 GitHub stars, 5,830 forks, 1,008 open issues and last shipped yesterday. extension.js has 5,206 stars, 144 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Appwrite leads on adoption by 1,011% (57,854 vs 5,206 stars). Appwrite is written in TypeScript under BSD-3-Clause; extension.js is written in TypeScript under MIT. Appwrite has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, extension.js 3%. Appwrite 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
| Appwrite | extension.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 58K | ★ 5.2K |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 144 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Appwrite if
- You weight community size — 58K stars and counting
- You want the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick extension.js if
- You want the extension.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and extension.js fits your workflow better
About Appwrite
Appwrite Appwrite is an open source, all in one development platform. Use built in backend infrastructure and web hosting, all from a single place. English 简体中文 Appwrite is an open source development platform for building web, mobile, and AI applications. It brings together backend infrastructure and web hosting in one place, so teams can build, ship, and scale without stitching together a fragmented stack. Appwrite is available as a managed cloud platform and can also be self hosted on infrastructure you control. With Appwrite, you can add authentication, databases, storage, functions, messaging, realtime…
read the full Appwrite overview →
About extension.js
[npm version image]: [npm version url]: [npm downloads image]: [npm downloads url]: [action image]: [action url]: [discord image]: [discord url]: [snyk image]: [snyk url]: [scorecard image]: [scorecard url]: Extension.js [![Version][npm version image]][npm version url] [![Downloads][npm downloads image]][npm downloads url] [![CI][action image]][action url] [![Discord][discord image]][discord url] [![OpenSSF Scorecard][scorecard image]][scorecard url] The cross browser extension framework. Build for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari with no build config required. Works with npm , pnpm , yarn , bun , and deno…
read the full extension.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Appwrite or extension.js more popular?
Appwrite has 57,854 GitHub stars and extension.js has 5,206. Appwrite has the larger community by that measure.
Are Appwrite and extension.js free?
Both are open source. Appwrite is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and extension.js under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Appwrite and extension.js?
Appwrite is written in TypeScript and extension.js 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, Appwrite or extension.js?
Choose Appwrite if you want the larger community (57,854 stars) or its BSD-3-Clause licence terms. Choose extension.js if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.