head to head · open source
azerothcore-wotlk vs pufferpanel
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,978 GitHub stars, 3,830 forks, 2,445 open issues and last shipped today. pufferpanel has 1,749 stars, 270 forks, 116 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. azerothcore-wotlk leads on adoption by 413% (8,978 vs 1,749 stars). azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ under GPL-2.0; pufferpanel is written in Go under Apache-2.0. azerothcore-wotlk has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, pufferpanel 15%. 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 | pufferpanel | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.0K | ★ 1.7K |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-29 | 2026-09-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 270 |
| 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 pufferpanel if
- You want the pufferpanel 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 pufferpanel 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 pufferpanel
PufferPanel is a free and open source, web based game server management system written in Go that lets an operator manage multiple different game servers from one central location and give other users their own servers or access to existing ones, aimed at everyone from individual users and personal setups through to small networks and larger operations.
read the full pufferpanel 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 pufferpanel more popular?
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,978 GitHub stars and pufferpanel has 1,749. azerothcore-wotlk has the larger community by that measure.
Are azerothcore-wotlk and pufferpanel free?
Both are open source. azerothcore-wotlk is licensed under GPL-2.0 and pufferpanel under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between azerothcore-wotlk and pufferpanel?
azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ and pufferpanel 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 pufferpanel?
Choose azerothcore-wotlk if you want the larger community (8,978 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose pufferpanel if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.