head to head · open source
headroom vs Agently
headroom has 73,130 GitHub stars, 5,624 forks, 643 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Agently has 1,652 stars, 181 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. headroom leads on adoption by 4,327% (73,130 vs 1,652 stars). headroom is written in Python under Apache-2.0; Agently is written in Python under Apache-2.0. headroom has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Agently 11%. headroom was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (agent), 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
| headroom | Agently | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 73K | ★ 1.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.6K | ⑂ 181 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick headroom if
- You weight community size — 73K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Agently if
- You want the Agently feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Agently fits your workflow better
About headroom
Headroom is an Apache 2.0 Python library, local proxy, agent wrapper and MCP server that compresses tool outputs, logs, files, RAG chunks and conversation history before they reach an LLM, and it is built for developers running AI coding agents or LLM applications who want to cut token usage without changing the answers they get.
read the full headroom overview →
About Agently
Agently is a Python GenAI application development framework and AI application runtime framework. It lives in the AI and machine learning ecosystem, specifically in AI development platforms for agents and large language model services. The project targets teams moving from one successful model call to a reliable application backend with stable contracts, observable execution, and restart safe workflow boundaries.
read the full Agently overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is headroom or Agently more popular?
headroom has 73,130 GitHub stars and Agently has 1,652. headroom has the larger community by that measure.
Are headroom and Agently free?
Both are open source. headroom is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Agently under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between headroom and Agently?
headroom is written in Python and Agently 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, headroom or Agently?
Choose headroom if you want the larger community (73,130 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Agently if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.