head to head · open source
Appwrite vs Semaphore
Appwrite has 57,854 GitHub stars, 5,830 forks, 1,008 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Semaphore has 1,631 stars, 101 forks, 178 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Appwrite leads on adoption by 3,447% (57,854 vs 1,631 stars). Appwrite is written in TypeScript under BSD-3-Clause; Semaphore is written in Elixir under a custom or non-standard licence. Appwrite has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Semaphore 6%. 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 | Semaphore | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 58K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | Elixir |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 101 |
| 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 Semaphore if
- You want the Semaphore feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Elixir
- You evaluated both and Semaphore 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 Semaphore
Semaphore Open Source CI/CD Platform Semaphore CI/CD helps product teams ship software faster, with quality and security. 🚀 Features Blazing fast CI/CD – Get your builds & deployments done in record time. Simple yet powerful – YAML based config, parallel execution, and more! Scales with you – From solo developers to massive engineering teams. Built for the modern cloud – Works seamlessly with containers, Kubernetes, and multi cloud environments. Installation Installing and running Semaphore is easy and only takes 10 30 minutes ⏱️ Choose your preferred installation method from our detailed guides: Semaphore…
read the full Semaphore overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Appwrite or Semaphore more popular?
Appwrite has 57,854 GitHub stars and Semaphore has 1,631. Appwrite has the larger community by that measure.
Are Appwrite and Semaphore free?
Both are open source. Appwrite is licensed under BSD-3-Clause, and Semaphore has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Appwrite and Semaphore?
Appwrite is written in TypeScript and Semaphore in Elixir. 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 Semaphore?
Choose Appwrite if you want the larger community (57,854 stars) or its BSD-3-Clause licence terms. Choose Semaphore if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.