head to head · open source
BleachBit vs portabase
BleachBit has 6,939 GitHub stars, 454 forks, 313 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. portabase has 1,750 stars, 116 forks, 33 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. BleachBit leads on adoption by 297% (6,939 vs 1,750 stars). BleachBit is written in Python under GPL-3.0; portabase is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. BleachBit has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, portabase 7%. portabase was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| BleachBit | portabase | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.9K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 454 | ⑂ 116 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick BleachBit if
- You weight community size — 6.9K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick portabase if
- You want the portabase feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and portabase fits your workflow better
About BleachBit
BleachBit is a free, GPL 3.0 system cleaner written in Python that deletes files on Windows and Linux to free disk space and protect privacy, made for desktop users and administrators who want a cross platform alternative to commercial cleanup tools.
read the full BleachBit overview →
About portabase
Portabase is an Apache 2.0 licensed, self hosted TypeScript application that backs up and restores PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, SQLite, Firebird, Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL and Docker volumes from a single dashboard, and it is built for developers, DevOps engineers and self hosters who run their own database instances rather than buying a managed backup service.
read the full portabase overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is BleachBit or portabase more popular?
BleachBit has 6,939 GitHub stars and portabase has 1,750. BleachBit has the larger community by that measure.
Are BleachBit and portabase free?
Both are open source. BleachBit is licensed under GPL-3.0 and portabase under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between BleachBit and portabase?
BleachBit is written in Python and portabase in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, BleachBit or portabase?
Choose BleachBit if you want the larger community (6,939 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose portabase if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.