head to head · open source
jsdoc vs open-knowledge
jsdoc has 15,465 GitHub stars, 1,492 forks, 459 open issues and last shipped yesterday. open-knowledge has 4,258 stars, 281 forks, 38 open issues and last shipped yesterday. jsdoc leads on adoption by 263% (15,465 vs 4,258 stars). jsdoc is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; open-knowledge is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. jsdoc has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, open-knowledge 7%. jsdoc was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (docs), 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
| jsdoc | open-knowledge | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 4.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 281 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick jsdoc if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick open-knowledge if
- You want the open-knowledge feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and open-knowledge fits your workflow better
About jsdoc
JSDoc is an API documentation generator for JavaScript that reads annotations in source comments and produces a browsable documentation site, aimed at JavaScript developers and library maintainers who need reference documentation to stay in sync with code.
read the full jsdoc overview →
About open-knowledge
OpenKnowledge is a markdown IDE and LLM wiki tool in the Content & Publishing / Documentation & Knowledge Base category. It is written in TypeScript, licensed under GPL 3.0, and listed on GitHub with 4214 stars, 275 forks, and 38 open issues. It is an AI native editor for knowledge bases, LLM wikis, specs, and notes, and it is described as private, local, and free.
read the full open-knowledge overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is jsdoc or open-knowledge more popular?
jsdoc has 15,465 GitHub stars and open-knowledge has 4,258. jsdoc has the larger community by that measure.
Are jsdoc and open-knowledge free?
Both are open source. jsdoc is licensed under Apache-2.0 and open-knowledge under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between jsdoc and open-knowledge?
jsdoc is written in JavaScript and open-knowledge 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, jsdoc or open-knowledge?
Choose jsdoc if you want the larger community (15,465 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose open-knowledge if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.