head to head · open source
hyperframes vs pencil
hyperframes has 51,348 GitHub stars, 4,675 forks, 200 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pencil has 9,865 stars, 791 forks, 533 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. hyperframes leads on adoption by 421% (51,348 vs 9,865 stars). hyperframes is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; pencil is written in JavaScript under GPL-2.0. hyperframes has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, pencil 8%. hyperframes 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
| hyperframes | pencil | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 51K | ★ 9.9K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-06-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.7K | ⑂ 791 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick hyperframes if
- You weight community size — 51K 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 pencil if
- You want the pencil feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and pencil fits your workflow better
About hyperframes
HyperFrames is an Apache 2.0 TypeScript framework that turns HTML, CSS, media, and seekable animations into deterministic MP4 video, built for developers and AI coding agents that need repeatable video output from code.
read the full hyperframes overview →
About pencil
Pencil is a free and open source diagramming and GUI prototyping tool, licensed under GPL 2.0, that lets designers and developers sketch wireframes, mockups, and diagrams on the desktop without a commercial licence.
read the full pencil overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is hyperframes or pencil more popular?
hyperframes has 51,348 GitHub stars and pencil has 9,865. hyperframes has the larger community by that measure.
Are hyperframes and pencil free?
Both are open source. hyperframes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and pencil under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between hyperframes and pencil?
hyperframes is written in TypeScript and pencil in JavaScript. 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 pencil?
Choose hyperframes if you want the larger community (51,348 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose pencil if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.