head to head · open source
refined-github vs emacs-application-framework
refined-github has 32,187 GitHub stars, 1,914 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped yesterday. emacs-application-framework has 3,488 stars, 245 forks, 21 open issues and last shipped 28 days ago. refined-github leads on adoption by 823% (32,187 vs 3,488 stars). refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT; emacs-application-framework is written in Python under GPL-3.0. refined-github has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, emacs-application-framework 7%. refined-github 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
| refined-github | emacs-application-framework | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 3.5K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-08-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 245 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick refined-github if
- You weight community size — 32K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick emacs-application-framework if
- You want the emacs-application-framework feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and emacs-application-framework fits your workflow better
About refined-github
Refined GitHub is an MIT licensed browser extension written in TypeScript that simplifies the GitHub interface and adds useful features, built for developers and teams who spend their working day inside GitHub and want the small missing conveniences fixed without waiting for the platform itself to change.
read the full refined-github overview →
About emacs-application-framework
Emacs Application Framework (EAF) is a free/libre, open source framework that extends the graphical capabilities of Emacs, built for hackers who work with numerous languages and text, are keyboard driven, and want maximum freedom, extensibility, and introspectivity over their tools — potentially to the point of living in Emacs.
read the full emacs-application-framework overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is refined-github or emacs-application-framework more popular?
refined-github has 32,187 GitHub stars and emacs-application-framework has 3,488. refined-github has the larger community by that measure.
Are refined-github and emacs-application-framework free?
Both are open source. refined-github is licensed under MIT and emacs-application-framework under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between refined-github and emacs-application-framework?
refined-github is written in TypeScript and emacs-application-framework 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, refined-github or emacs-application-framework?
Choose refined-github if you want the larger community (32,187 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose emacs-application-framework if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.