head to head · open source
headroom vs AIHawk
headroom has 78,773 GitHub stars, 6,155 forks, 643 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AIHawk has 32,383 stars, 4,739 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. headroom leads on adoption by 143% (78,773 vs 32,383 stars). headroom is written in Python under Apache-2.0; AIHawk is written in TypeScript under MIT. headroom has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, AIHawk 15%. headroom 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
| headroom | AIHawk | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 79K | ★ 32K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.2K | ⑂ 4.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick headroom if
- You weight community size — 79K 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 AIHawk if
- You want the AIHawk feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and AIHawk fits your workflow better
About headroom
Quickstart · Install · Proof · Agents · Docs · Discord · llms.txt AI agents / LLMs: read /llms.txt here, or fetch the live index · full docs blob . Headroom compresses everything your AI agent reads — tool outputs, logs, RAG chunks, files, and conversation history — before it reaches the LLM. Same answers, fraction of the tokens. Compression runs on your machine; no prompt or file content is sent anywhere to be compressed. 10,144 → 1,260 tokens. The same FATAL found. What it does Library — compress(messages) in Python or TypeScript, inline in any app. Proxy — headroom proxy port 8787 , zero code changes, any…
read the full headroom overview →
About AIHawk
AIHawk is an anti detect browser and web browsing agent, open source, with an MCP server for coding agents: undetected, no captchas, no blocks. Tell it what you want in plain language. FEATURED IN Business Insider · TechCrunch · Semafor · Wired · The Verge · Vanity Fair · 404 Media Two ways to use this browser agent 1. From your assistant, over MCP Windows, in PowerShell: Linux: Then tell your assistant it exists. Claude Code: Codex: Gemini CLI: 2. Standalone: the web UI We bring the interface, you bring an OpenRouter key. Chat on the left, the live browser on the right. Windows, in PowerShell: Linux: Then open…
read the full AIHawk overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is headroom or AIHawk more popular?
headroom has 78,773 GitHub stars and AIHawk has 32,383. headroom has the larger community by that measure.
Are headroom and AIHawk free?
Both are open source. headroom is licensed under Apache-2.0 and AIHawk under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between headroom and AIHawk?
headroom is written in Python and AIHawk in TypeScript. 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 AIHawk?
Choose headroom if you want the larger community (78,773 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose AIHawk if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.