head to head · open source
slate vs emacs-application-framework
slate has 31,748 GitHub stars, 3,302 forks, 653 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. emacs-application-framework has 3,488 stars, 245 forks, 21 open issues and last shipped 28 days ago. slate leads on adoption by 810% (31,748 vs 3,488 stars). slate is written in TypeScript under MIT; emacs-application-framework is written in Python under GPL-3.0. slate has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, emacs-application-framework 7%. slate 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
| slate | emacs-application-framework | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 3.5K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-13 | 2026-08-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.3K | ⑂ 245 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick slate 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 slate
Slate is a completely customizable framework for building rich text editors, written in TypeScript and released under the MIT licence, for JavaScript and React developers who need an editor that goes well past what a fixed schema can offer.
read the full slate 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 slate or emacs-application-framework more popular?
slate has 31,748 GitHub stars and emacs-application-framework has 3,488. slate has the larger community by that measure.
Are slate and emacs-application-framework free?
Both are open source. slate is licensed under MIT and emacs-application-framework under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between slate and emacs-application-framework?
slate 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, slate or emacs-application-framework?
Choose slate if you want the larger community (31,748 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.