head to head · open source
CasaOS vs Cosmos Server
CasaOS has 37,232 GitHub stars, 2,187 forks, 833 open issues and last shipped 1.1 years ago. Cosmos Server has 6,158 stars, 249 forks, 201 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. CasaOS leads on adoption by 505% (37,232 vs 6,158 stars). CasaOS is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Cosmos Server is written in Go under a custom or non-standard licence. CasaOS has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Cosmos Server 4%. Cosmos Server was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (self-hosted), 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
| CasaOS | Cosmos Server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 6.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2025-08-06 | 2026-09-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.2K | ⑂ 249 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick CasaOS if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Cosmos Server if
- You want the Cosmos Server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Cosmos Server fits your workflow better
About CasaOS
CasaOS is an open source personal cloud operating system built for home servers. It provides a lightweight, user friendly interface to manage local storage, run containerized applications, and integrate smart devices—all without requiring deep technical knowledge. The project targets individuals and small households seeking autonomy over their data and infrastructure, replacing reliance on commercial cloud services with a self hosted alternative.
read the full CasaOS overview →
About Cosmos Server
Cosmos Server is a self hosted cloud platform written in Go that acts as a secure gateway and server manager for a home server. It lives in the self hosting and infrastructure ecosystem, and it is distributed primarily as a Docker image ( azukaar/cosmos server ) with a web UI for managing applications from any device. The project bundles a reverse proxy, an authentication server, a container manager, a storage manager, a VPN, backups, monitoring, and an app store into a single control plane, and it is published under a NOASSERTION license with a homepage at cosmos cloud.io.
read the full Cosmos Server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is CasaOS or Cosmos Server more popular?
CasaOS has 37,232 GitHub stars and Cosmos Server has 6,158. CasaOS has the larger community by that measure.
Are CasaOS and Cosmos Server free?
Both are open source. CasaOS is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Cosmos Server has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between CasaOS and Cosmos Server?
CasaOS is written in Go and Cosmos Server 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, CasaOS or Cosmos Server?
Choose CasaOS if you want the larger community (37,232 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Cosmos Server if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.