head to head · open source
layui vs pencil
layui has 30,573 GitHub stars, 7,354 forks, 43 open issues and last shipped 19 days ago. pencil has 9,866 stars, 792 forks, 533 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. layui leads on adoption by 210% (30,573 vs 9,866 stars). layui is written in JavaScript under MIT; pencil is written in JavaScript under GPL-2.0. layui has attracted 24% as many forks as stars, pencil 8%. layui was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (javascript), 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
| layui | pencil | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 31K | ★ 9.9K |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-01 | 2026-06-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.4K | ⑂ 792 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick layui if
- You weight community size — 31K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- 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 layui
Layui is a free, open source Web UI component library built on plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript that follows the browser's native development model, aimed at developers who need to assemble complex page interfaces without adopting a front end framework toolchain.
read the full layui 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 layui or pencil more popular?
layui has 30,573 GitHub stars and pencil has 9,866. layui has the larger community by that measure.
Are layui and pencil free?
Both are open source. layui is licensed under MIT and pencil under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between layui and pencil?
layui is written in JavaScript 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, layui or pencil?
Choose layui if you want the larger community (30,573 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose pencil if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.