head to head · open source
azerothcore-wotlk vs forgottenserver
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,971 GitHub stars, 3,830 forks, 2,445 open issues and last shipped today. forgottenserver has 1,841 stars, 1,142 forks, 226 open issues and last shipped today. azerothcore-wotlk leads on adoption by 387% (8,971 vs 1,841 stars). azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ under GPL-2.0; forgottenserver is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. azerothcore-wotlk has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, forgottenserver 62%. forgottenserver was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (game, game-server, mmorpg), 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
| azerothcore-wotlk | forgottenserver | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.0K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-28 | 2026-09-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 1.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick azerothcore-wotlk if
- You weight community size — 9.0K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick forgottenserver if
- You want the forgottenserver feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and forgottenserver fits your workflow better
About azerothcore-wotlk
AzerothCore (azerothcore wotlk) is an open source, modular C++ game server and framework that recreates the World of Warcraft patch 3.3.5a experience, built for people who want to run and extend their own MMORPG server rather than pay for one.
read the full azerothcore-wotlk overview →
About forgottenserver
The Forgotten Server is a free and open source MMORPG server emulator written in C++ that lets a team run its own OpenTibia compatible game world and connect players to it with a compatible client.
read the full forgottenserver overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is azerothcore-wotlk or forgottenserver more popular?
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,971 GitHub stars and forgottenserver has 1,841. azerothcore-wotlk has the larger community by that measure.
Are azerothcore-wotlk and forgottenserver free?
Both are open source. azerothcore-wotlk is licensed under GPL-2.0 and forgottenserver under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between azerothcore-wotlk and forgottenserver?
azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ and forgottenserver 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, azerothcore-wotlk or forgottenserver?
Choose azerothcore-wotlk if you want the larger community (8,971 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose forgottenserver if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.