head to head · open source
Darktable vs OpenShot
Darktable has 13,383 GitHub stars, 1,506 forks, 678 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenShot has 6,734 stars, 831 forks, 418 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Darktable leads on adoption by 99% (13,383 vs 6,734 stars). Darktable is written in C under GPL-3.0; OpenShot is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence. Darktable has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, OpenShot 12%. OpenShot 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Darktable | OpenShot | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 6.7K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | C | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 831 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Darktable if
- You weight community size — 13K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenShot if
- You want the OpenShot feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and OpenShot fits your workflow better
About Darktable
darktable ========= darktable is an open source photography workflow application and non destructive raw developer a virtual lighttable and darkroom for photographers. It manages your digital negatives in a database, lets you view them through a zoomable lighttable and enables you to develop raw images, enhance them and export them to local or remote storage. darktable is not a free Adobe® Lightroom® replacement. Table of Contents 1. Documentation 2. Website 3. Requirements Supported platforms Hardware AI features (optional) 4. Installing Latest release Development snapshot 5. Updating from older versions 6…
read the full Darktable overview →
About OpenShot
OpenShot Video Editor OpenShot Video Editor is an award winning free and open source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows, and is dedicated to delivering high quality video editing and animation solutions to the world. Build Status Features Cross platform (Linux, Mac, and Windows) Support for many video, audio, and image formats (based on FFmpeg) Powerful curve based Key frame animations Desktop integration (drag and drop support) Unlimited tracks / layers Clip resizing, scaling, trimming, snapping, rotation, and cutting Video transitions with real time previews Compositing, image overlays, watermarks Title…
read the full OpenShot overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Photo & Video Editors projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Photo & Video Editors field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Darktable or OpenShot more popular?
Darktable has 13,383 GitHub stars and OpenShot has 6,734. Darktable has the larger community by that measure.
Are Darktable and OpenShot free?
Both are open source. Darktable is licensed under GPL-3.0, and OpenShot has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Darktable and OpenShot?
Darktable is written in C and OpenShot in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Darktable or OpenShot?
Choose Darktable if you want the larger community (13,383 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose OpenShot if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.