head to head · open source
ego-lite vs HackBrowserData
ego-lite has 21,332 GitHub stars, 1,193 forks, 169 open issues and last shipped yesterday. HackBrowserData has 14,661 stars, 1,809 forks, 33 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ego-lite leads on adoption by 46% (21,332 vs 14,661 stars). ego-lite is written in JavaScript under MIT; HackBrowserData is written in Go under MIT. ego-lite has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, HackBrowserData 12%. ego-lite was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (browser), 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
| ego-lite | HackBrowserData | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 15K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.2K | ⑂ 1.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ego-lite if
- You weight community size — 21K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick HackBrowserData if
- You want the HackBrowserData feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and HackBrowserData fits your workflow better
About ego-lite
The fastest browser for AI agents to run browser automation ego (lite) is a browser where you and your AI agents work in parallel. Your agents run multiple browser tasks in their own Spaces while your tabs stay yours, and tasks complete faster on fewer tokens. Existing tools like browser use and agent browser are browser automation frameworks: they need a separate browser to drive, logins never carry cleanly, and you and the agent end up fighting for the same tabs. ego lite is one browser designed from the start for the two of you to share. No extra setup, and the agent can always reach your real logins and tabs…
read the full ego-lite overview →
About HackBrowserData
HackBrowserData HackBrowserData is a command line tool for decrypting and exporting browser data (passwords, history, cookies, bookmarks, credit cards, download history, localStorage, sessionStorage and extensions) from the browser. It supports the most popular Chromium based browsers and Firefox on Windows, macOS and Linux, plus Safari on macOS. It can also decrypt data across machines and operating systems : export the master keys on the origin host, then decrypt a copy of the data offline on any other host — even for a browser that the analyst host's OS cannot run (see Cross host decryption). Disclaimer: This…
read the full HackBrowserData overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ego-lite or HackBrowserData more popular?
ego-lite has 21,332 GitHub stars and HackBrowserData has 14,661. ego-lite has the larger community by that measure.
Are ego-lite and HackBrowserData free?
Both are open source. ego-lite is licensed under MIT and HackBrowserData under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ego-lite and HackBrowserData?
ego-lite is written in JavaScript and HackBrowserData in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, ego-lite or HackBrowserData?
Choose ego-lite if you want the larger community (21,332 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose HackBrowserData if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.