head to head · open source
opcode vs lite-xl
opcode has 22,409 GitHub stars, 1,720 forks, 332 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. lite-xl has 6,390 stars, 317 forks, 330 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. opcode leads on adoption by 251% (22,409 vs 6,390 stars). opcode is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; lite-xl is written in Lua under MIT. opcode has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, lite-xl 5%. opcode 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
| opcode | lite-xl | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 22K | ★ 6.4K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Lua |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-03-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 317 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick opcode if
- You weight community size — 22K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick lite-xl if
- You want the lite-xl feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You evaluated both and lite-xl fits your workflow better
About opcode
opcode is an open source desktop GUI application and toolkit for Claude Code that provides a visual command centre for projects, sessions, custom agents, Model Context Protocol servers, checkpoints, and API usage, aimed at developers who already work with Claude Code from the command line and want a graphical layer over it.
read the full opcode overview →
About lite-xl
Lite XL is a lightweight text editor written mostly in Lua and built on SDL2, released under the MIT licence for developers who want a small, fast, extensible editor whose entire source they can read and change.
read the full lite-xl overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is opcode or lite-xl more popular?
opcode has 22,409 GitHub stars and lite-xl has 6,390. opcode has the larger community by that measure.
Are opcode and lite-xl free?
Both are open source. opcode is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and lite-xl under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between opcode and lite-xl?
opcode is written in TypeScript and lite-xl in Lua. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, opcode or lite-xl?
Choose opcode if you want the larger community (22,409 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose lite-xl if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.