head to head · open source
hyperframes vs OpenPencil
hyperframes has 77,640 GitHub stars, 7,133 forks, 200 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenPencil has 9,551 stars, 1,004 forks, 46 open issues and last shipped yesterday. hyperframes leads on adoption by 713% (77,640 vs 9,551 stars). hyperframes is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; OpenPencil is written in TypeScript under MIT. hyperframes has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, OpenPencil 11%. hyperframes was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai), 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
| hyperframes | OpenPencil | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 78K | ★ 9.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.1K | ⑂ 1.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick hyperframes if
- You weight community size — 78K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenPencil if
- You want the OpenPencil feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and OpenPencil fits your workflow better
About hyperframes
Write HTML. Render video. Built for agents. Quickstart Showcase Playground Catalog Docs Discord HyperFrames is an open source framework for turning HTML, CSS, media, and seekable animations into deterministic MP4 videos. Use it locally with the CLI, from AI coding agents with skills, or as the rendering core behind hosted authoring workflows. Quick Start With an AI coding agent Install the HyperFrames skills, then describe the video you want: The picker opens with nothing pre selected — the Core Skills group is all you need: the /hyperframes router installs each creation workflow on demand. Agents and non…
read the full hyperframes overview →
About OpenPencil
OpenPencil Open source design editor. Opens .fig and .pen design files, includes built in AI, and ships as a programmable toolkit with a headless Vue SDK for building custom editors. Status: Active development. Usable today, with some rough edges as features evolve. Try it online → · Download · Documentation · Roadmap · llms.txt Installation macOS (Homebrew): Or download from the releases page, or use the web app — no install needed. What it does Opens .fig and .pen files — read and write native Figma files, open supported Pencil documents from the app or OS file browser, copy & paste nodes between apps AI…
read the full OpenPencil overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is hyperframes or OpenPencil more popular?
hyperframes has 77,640 GitHub stars and OpenPencil has 9,551. hyperframes has the larger community by that measure.
Are hyperframes and OpenPencil free?
Both are open source. hyperframes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenPencil under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between hyperframes and OpenPencil?
hyperframes is written in TypeScript and OpenPencil 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, hyperframes or OpenPencil?
Choose hyperframes if you want the larger community (77,640 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose OpenPencil if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.