head to head · open source
it-tools vs Directus
it-tools has 40,640 GitHub stars, 5,432 forks, 821 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Directus has 37,911 stars, 4,951 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. it-tools leads on adoption by 7% (40,640 vs 37,911 stars). it-tools is written in Vue under GPL-3.0; Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. it-tools has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Directus 13%. Directus was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (javascript), 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
| it-tools | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 38K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Vue | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-16 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.4K | ⑂ 5.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick it-tools if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Vue
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Directus if
- You want the Directus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Directus fits your workflow better
About it-tools
it tools be self hostable web collection of small developer and IT utilities — converters, encoders, formatters, generators — built with Vue and TypeScript, shipped as Docker image, aimed at developers, IT people, and homelab owners who want those tools without shipping data to third party sites.
read the full it-tools overview →
About Directus
Directus is an open source data platform that wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API layer and a visual management interface. It lives in the developer tools and frameworks ecosystem, specifically targeting teams needing a flexible backend for content management, admin panels, or custom applications without writing boilerplate code.
read the full Directus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is it-tools or Directus more popular?
it-tools has 40,640 GitHub stars and Directus has 37,911. it-tools has the larger community by that measure.
Are it-tools and Directus free?
Both are open source. it-tools is licensed under GPL-3.0, and Directus has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between it-tools and Directus?
it-tools is written in Vue and Directus 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, it-tools or Directus?
Choose it-tools if you want the larger community (40,640 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Directus if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.