head to head · open source
seatunnel vs Lightdash
seatunnel has 9,784 GitHub stars, 2,456 forks, 705 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Lightdash has 6,221 stars, 802 forks, 1,018 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. seatunnel leads on adoption by 57% (9,784 vs 6,221 stars). seatunnel is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Lightdash is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. seatunnel has attracted 25% as many forks as stars, Lightdash 13%. Lightdash 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
| seatunnel | Lightdash | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.8K | ★ 6.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 802 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick seatunnel if
- You weight community size — 9.8K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Lightdash if
- You want the Lightdash feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Lightdash fits your workflow better
About seatunnel
Apache SeaTunnel Overview SeaTunnel is a multimodal, high performance, distributed data integration tool, capable of synchronizing vast amounts of data daily. It's trusted by numerous companies for its efficiency and stability. Why Choose SeaTunnel SeaTunnel addresses common data integration challenges: Diverse Data Sources : Seamlessly integrates with hundreds of evolving data sources. Multimodal Data Integration : Supports the integration of video, images, binary files, structured and unstructured text data. Complex Synchronization Scenarios : Supports various synchronization methods, including real time, CDC…
read the full seatunnel overview →
About Lightdash
Open source Agentic BI for modern data teams Build governed metrics, dashboards, AI agents, and data apps from your context layer. Ship analytics through Git, CI, MCP, and the Lightdash CLI. Why Lightdash Lightdash is the Agentic BI platform for teams that want analytics to move like software. Your context layer defines trusted metrics, joins, permissions, business logic, and caching once, then powers every way people consume data: dashboards, AI agents, data apps, embedded analytics, SDKs, and MCP. Data teams can build and maintain analytics with any AI agent, then use the terminal, pull requests, and CI to…
read the full Lightdash overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is seatunnel or Lightdash more popular?
seatunnel has 9,784 GitHub stars and Lightdash has 6,221. seatunnel has the larger community by that measure.
Are seatunnel and Lightdash free?
Both are open source. seatunnel is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Lightdash has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between seatunnel and Lightdash?
seatunnel is written in Java and Lightdash 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, seatunnel or Lightdash?
Choose seatunnel if you want the larger community (9,784 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Lightdash if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.