head to head · open source
code-server vs stagewise
code-server has 79,844 GitHub stars, 6,939 forks, 152 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. stagewise has 6,836 stars, 513 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. code-server leads on adoption by 1,068% (79,844 vs 6,836 stars). code-server is written in TypeScript under MIT; stagewise is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. code-server has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, stagewise 8%. code-server was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ide), 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
| code-server | stagewise | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 80K | ★ 6.8K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-11 | 2026-11-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.9K | ⑂ 513 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick code-server if
- You weight community size — 80K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick stagewise if
- You want the stagewise 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 stagewise fits your workflow better
About code-server
code server Run VS Code on any machine anywhere and access it in the browser. Highlights Code on any device with a consistent development environment Use cloud servers to speed up tests, compilations, downloads, and more Preserve battery life when you're on the go; all intensive tasks run on your server Requirements See requirements for minimum specs, as well as instructions on how to set up a Google VM on which you can install code server. TL;DR: Linux machine with WebSockets enabled, 1 GB RAM, and 2 vCPUs Getting started There are five ways to get started: 1. Using the install script, which automates most of…
read the full code-server overview →
About stagewise
The Agentic IDE for Open Source Models 简体中文 · Deutsch · 日本語 · Español · 한국어 · Português · Français · Italiano · हिन्दी · Русский · Українська About the project stagewise is an open source agentic IDE for developers with a coding agent built right in. Browse and build in the same tool — no context switching Work with a coding agent that has full access to your tab's console and debugger Make temporary test changes or connect a codebase for permanent edits Reverse engineer any website's components, style systems, and color palettes IDE integration to view and apply code changes in your favorite editor Bring your…
read the full stagewise overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is code-server or stagewise more popular?
code-server has 79,844 GitHub stars and stagewise has 6,836. code-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are code-server and stagewise free?
Both are open source. code-server is licensed under MIT and stagewise under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between code-server and stagewise?
code-server is written in TypeScript and stagewise 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, code-server or stagewise?
Choose code-server if you want the larger community (79,844 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose stagewise if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.