head to head · open source
Hercules vs Argos
Hercules has 1,158 GitHub stars, 189 forks, 39 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Argos has 627 stars, 64 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Hercules leads on adoption by 85% (1,158 vs 627 stars). Hercules is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; Argos is written in TypeScript under MIT. Hercules has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, Argos 10%. Argos 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
| Hercules | Argos | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 1.2K | ★ 627 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-04 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 189 | ⑂ 64 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Hercules if
- You weight community size — 1.2K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Argos if
- You want the Argos feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Argos fits your workflow better
About Hercules
Hercules is an open source, AGPL 3.0 testing agent that turns plain Gherkin feature files into automated end to end UI, API, security, accessibility and visual tests for QA engineers, developers and platform teams who need browser level coverage without writing or maintaining test code.
read the full Hercules overview →
About Argos
Argos is an open source, MIT licensed visual regression testing platform, written in TypeScript, that detects unintended visual changes in a user interface so engineering teams can hold product quality steady while shipping faster.
read the full Argos overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Hercules or Argos more popular?
Hercules has 1,158 GitHub stars and Argos has 627. Hercules has the larger community by that measure.
Are Hercules and Argos free?
Both are open source. Hercules is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Argos under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Hercules and Argos?
Hercules is written in Python and Argos 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, Hercules or Argos?
Choose Hercules if you want the larger community (1,158 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Argos if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.