head to head · open source
rowboat vs cloudstack
rowboat has 17,914 GitHub stars, 1,784 forks, 167 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. cloudstack has 3,075 stars, 1,385 forks, 1,048 open issues and last shipped yesterday. rowboat leads on adoption by 483% (17,914 vs 3,075 stars). rowboat is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; cloudstack is written in Java under Apache-2.0. rowboat has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, cloudstack 45%. cloudstack 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
| rowboat | cloudstack | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick rowboat if
- You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick cloudstack if
- You want the cloudstack feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and cloudstack fits your workflow better
About rowboat
Rowboat is an open source desktop AI coworker, licensed Apache 2.0 and written in TypeScript, that maintains a memory of your work as a local Markdown knowledge graph and provides built in surfaces — email, notes, browser, code mode, meeting notes — for acting on that memory.
read the full rowboat overview →
About cloudstack
Apache CloudStack is an open source Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud computing platform, written primarily in Java and released under the Apache 2.0 licence, that deploys and manages large networks of virtual machines for service providers, enterprises, and operators who need a cloud they control.
read the full cloudstack overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rowboat or cloudstack more popular?
rowboat has 17,914 GitHub stars and cloudstack has 3,075. rowboat has the larger community by that measure.
Are rowboat and cloudstack free?
Both are open source. rowboat is licensed under Apache-2.0 and cloudstack under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rowboat and cloudstack?
rowboat is written in TypeScript and cloudstack 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, rowboat or cloudstack?
Choose rowboat if you want the larger community (17,914 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose cloudstack if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.