head to head · open source
azerothcore-wotlk vs stendhal
azerothcore-wotlk has 9,014 GitHub stars, 3,860 forks, 2,445 open issues and last shipped yesterday. stendhal has 703 stars, 226 forks, 143 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. azerothcore-wotlk leads on adoption by 1,182% (9,014 vs 703 stars). azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ under GPL-2.0; stendhal is written in Java under GPL-2.0. azerothcore-wotlk has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, stendhal 32%. azerothcore-wotlk 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 | stendhal | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.0K | ★ 703 |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Java |
| Last push | 2026-10-07 | 2026-07-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.9K | ⑂ 226 |
| 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 stendhal if
- You want the stendhal feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and stendhal 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 stendhal
Stendhal is a free, open source multiplayer online adventure game (MORPG) written in Java, playable by anyone with a web browser, an Android device, or a desktop with Java installed.
read the full stendhal overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is azerothcore-wotlk or stendhal more popular?
azerothcore-wotlk has 9,014 GitHub stars and stendhal has 703. azerothcore-wotlk has the larger community by that measure.
Are azerothcore-wotlk and stendhal free?
Both are open source. azerothcore-wotlk is licensed under GPL-2.0 and stendhal under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between azerothcore-wotlk and stendhal?
azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ and stendhal in Java. 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 stendhal?
Choose azerothcore-wotlk if you want the larger community (9,014 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose stendhal if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.