head to head · open source
ktx vs mailcheap
ktx has 1,617 GitHub stars, 109 forks, 52 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. mailcheap has 933 stars, 233 forks, 8 open issues and last shipped today. ktx leads on adoption by 73% (1,617 vs 933 stars). ktx is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; mailcheap is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0. ktx has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, mailcheap 25%. mailcheap was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai-agents), 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
| ktx | mailcheap | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 1.6K | ★ 933 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-11 | 2026-10-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 109 | ⑂ 233 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ktx if
- You weight community size — 1.6K 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 mailcheap if
- You want the mailcheap feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and mailcheap fits your workflow better
About ktx
ktx is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed executable context layer, built and maintained by Kaelio in TypeScript, that lets AI agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode query analytical warehouses accurately using approved metric definitions, detected joinable columns, and company knowledge.
About mailcheap
MailCheap is an open source newsletter application in JavaScript — dashboard, public archive, REST API and MCP server in one Next.js app — for writers, teams and agent builders who want to keep their subscriber list in their own database and pay a sending provider per email instead of paying a platform per subscriber.
read the full mailcheap overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ktx or mailcheap more popular?
ktx has 1,617 GitHub stars and mailcheap has 933. ktx has the larger community by that measure.
Are ktx and mailcheap free?
Both are open source. ktx is licensed under Apache-2.0 and mailcheap under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ktx and mailcheap?
ktx is written in TypeScript and mailcheap 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, ktx or mailcheap?
Choose ktx if you want the larger community (1,617 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose mailcheap if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.