head to head · open source
dataease vs Ghostwriter
dataease has 24,450 GitHub stars, 4,236 forks, 49 open issues and last shipped today. Ghostwriter has 1,916 stars, 257 forks, 38 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. dataease leads on adoption by 1,176% (24,450 vs 1,916 stars). dataease is written in Java under GPL-3.0; Ghostwriter is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. dataease has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, Ghostwriter 13%. dataease 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
| dataease | Ghostwriter | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 24K | ★ 1.9K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 257 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick dataease if
- You weight community size — 24K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Ghostwriter if
- You want the Ghostwriter feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Ghostwriter fits your workflow better
About dataease
DataEase is an open source business intelligence and data visualization tool, written in Java and licensed under GPL 3.0, built for analysts and business teams who want to explore data and build charts by clicking and dragging rather than by writing code.
read the full dataease overview →
About Ghostwriter
Ghostwriter is open source Python project management and reporting engine for offensive security work. It lives in information security, penetration testing, red team ecosystem. Category: Data & Analytics, Business Intelligence & Reporting. Stack: Python 3.13, Django 5.2. Topics: informationsecurity, penetration testing, red team, reporting.
read the full Ghostwriter overview →
More in Data & Analytics
Related comparisons
More Business Intelligence & Reporting projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Business Intelligence & Reporting field.
Frequently asked questions
Is dataease or Ghostwriter more popular?
dataease has 24,450 GitHub stars and Ghostwriter has 1,916. dataease has the larger community by that measure.
Are dataease and Ghostwriter free?
Both are open source. dataease is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Ghostwriter under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between dataease and Ghostwriter?
dataease is written in Java and Ghostwriter 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, dataease or Ghostwriter?
Choose dataease if you want the larger community (24,450 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Ghostwriter if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.