head to head · open source
chat vs hedgedoc
chat has 13,512 GitHub stars, 2,079 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. hedgedoc has 7,437 stars, 597 forks, 275 open issues and last shipped yesterday. chat leads on adoption by 82% (13,512 vs 7,437 stars). chat is written in Go under GPL-3.0; hedgedoc is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. chat has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, hedgedoc 8%. hedgedoc was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (collaboration), 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
| chat | hedgedoc | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 14K | ★ 7.4K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-13 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 597 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick chat if
- You weight community size — 14K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick hedgedoc if
- You want the hedgedoc feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and hedgedoc fits your workflow better
About chat
Tinode is an open source, full stack instant messaging server that pairs a Go backend with native iOS, Android, web, and command line clients, built for developers and operators who want to run or federate their own messaging platform rather than rent one.
About hedgedoc
HedgeDoc is an open source, self hostable collaborative markdown notes application, written in TypeScript and licensed under AGPL 3.0, for teams and individuals who need several people editing the same document in a browser at the same time.
read the full hedgedoc overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chat or hedgedoc more popular?
chat has 13,512 GitHub stars and hedgedoc has 7,437. chat has the larger community by that measure.
Are chat and hedgedoc free?
Both are open source. chat is licensed under GPL-3.0 and hedgedoc under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chat and hedgedoc?
chat is written in Go and hedgedoc 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, chat or hedgedoc?
Choose chat if you want the larger community (13,512 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose hedgedoc if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.