head to head · open source
azerothcore-wotlk vs goworld
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,959 GitHub stars, 3,807 forks, 2,445 open issues and last shipped today. goworld has 2,718 stars, 474 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped 10 months ago. azerothcore-wotlk leads on adoption by 230% (8,959 vs 2,718 stars). azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ under GPL-2.0; goworld is written in Go under Apache-2.0. azerothcore-wotlk has attracted 42% as many forks as stars, goworld 17%. azerothcore-wotlk was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (game-server), 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 | goworld | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.0K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-23 | 2025-11-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 474 |
| 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 goworld if
- You want the goworld feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and goworld 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 goworld
GoWorld is an Apache 2.0 licensed, scalable distributed game server engine written in Go, with hot swapping of game logic, aimed at developers and studios that run persistent multiplayer game worlds.
read the full goworld overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is azerothcore-wotlk or goworld more popular?
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,959 GitHub stars and goworld has 2,718. azerothcore-wotlk has the larger community by that measure.
Are azerothcore-wotlk and goworld free?
Both are open source. azerothcore-wotlk is licensed under GPL-2.0 and goworld under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between azerothcore-wotlk and goworld?
azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ and goworld in Go. 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 goworld?
Choose azerothcore-wotlk if you want the larger community (8,959 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose goworld if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.