head to head · open source
opcode vs lite-xl
opcode has 22,434 GitHub stars, 1,706 forks, 332 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. lite-xl has 6,506 stars, 328 forks, 330 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. opcode leads on adoption by 245% (22,434 vs 6,506 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%. lite-xl 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 | ★ 6.5K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Lua |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 328 |
| 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 A powerful GUI app and Toolkit for Claude Code Create custom agents, manage interactive Claude Code sessions, run secure background agents, and more. [!TIP] ⭐ Star the repo and follow @getAsterisk on X for early access to asteria swe v0 . [!NOTE] This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC. This is an independent developer project using Claude. 🌟 Overview opcode is a powerful desktop application that transforms how you interact with Claude Code. Built with Tauri 2, it provides a beautiful GUI for managing your Claude Code sessions…
read the full opcode overview →
About lite-xl
Lite XL [![CI]]( [![Discord Badge Image]]( ![screenshot dark] A lightweight text editor written in Lua, adapted from [lite]. [Get Lite XL] — Download for Windows, Linux and Mac OS. [Get plugins] — Add additional functionality, adapted for Lite XL. [Get color themes] — Add additional colors themes. Please refer to our [website] for the user and developer documentation, including [build] instructions details. A quick build guide is described below. Lite XL has support for high DPI display on Windows and Linux and, since 1.16.7 release, it supports retina displays on macOS. Please note that Lite XL is compatible…
read the full lite-xl overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is opcode or lite-xl more popular?
opcode has 22,434 GitHub stars and lite-xl has 6,506. 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 (22,434 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.