head to head · open source
azerothcore-wotlk vs pokerth
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,936 GitHub stars, 3,802 forks, 2,445 open issues and last shipped today. pokerth has 657 stars, 252 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped yesterday. azerothcore-wotlk leads on adoption by 1,260% (8,936 vs 657 stars). azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ under GPL-2.0; pokerth is written in C++ under AGPL-3.0. azerothcore-wotlk has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, pokerth 38%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| azerothcore-wotlk | pokerth | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 8.9K | ★ 657 |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 252 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick azerothcore-wotlk if
- You weight community size — 8.9K 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 pokerth if
- You want the pokerth feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and pokerth 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 pokerth
PokerTH is an open source Texas Hold'em poker game and engine written in C++ with Qt, for players who want to play against computer opponents or against other people over the internet, and for hosts who want to run the multiplayer server themselves.
read the full pokerth overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Gaming projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Gaming field.
Frequently asked questions
Is azerothcore-wotlk or pokerth more popular?
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,936 GitHub stars and pokerth has 657. azerothcore-wotlk has the larger community by that measure.
Are azerothcore-wotlk and pokerth free?
Both are open source. azerothcore-wotlk is licensed under GPL-2.0 and pokerth under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between azerothcore-wotlk and pokerth?
azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ and pokerth 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 pokerth?
Choose azerothcore-wotlk if you want the larger community (8,936 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose pokerth if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.