head to head · open source
LosslessCut vs PySceneDetect
LosslessCut has 44,140 GitHub stars, 2,188 forks, 300 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PySceneDetect has 5,207 stars, 523 forks, 64 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. LosslessCut leads on adoption by 748% (44,140 vs 5,207 stars). LosslessCut is written in TypeScript under GPL-2.0; PySceneDetect is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. LosslessCut has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, PySceneDetect 10%. LosslessCut was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (video), 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| LosslessCut | PySceneDetect | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 5.2K |
| License | GPL-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-28 | 2026-09-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.2K | ⑂ 523 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LosslessCut if
- You weight community size — 44K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick PySceneDetect if
- You want the PySceneDetect feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and PySceneDetect fits your workflow better
About LosslessCut
LosslessCut is a cross platform desktop application for lossless editing of video, audio, and subtitle files. Built with Electron and TypeScript, it serves as a graphical interface to FFmpeg, enabling users to perform precise cuts, trims, merges, and track manipulations without re encoding, thus preserving original quality. It targets users who need to rapidly process media files—such as raw footage from cameras, drones, or smartphones—where re encoding would be time consuming and degrade fidelity.
read the full LosslessCut overview →
About PySceneDetect
PySceneDetect is a BSD 3 Clause licensed Python and OpenCV program and library that detects scene cuts and transitions in video, built for developers, video engineers, and automated media pipelines that need to locate shot boundaries without scrubbing through footage by hand.
read the full PySceneDetect overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Photo & Video Editors projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Photo & Video Editors field.
Frequently asked questions
Is LosslessCut or PySceneDetect more popular?
LosslessCut has 44,140 GitHub stars and PySceneDetect has 5,207. LosslessCut has the larger community by that measure.
Are LosslessCut and PySceneDetect free?
Both are open source. LosslessCut is licensed under GPL-2.0 and PySceneDetect under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LosslessCut and PySceneDetect?
LosslessCut is written in TypeScript and PySceneDetect in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, LosslessCut or PySceneDetect?
Choose LosslessCut if you want the larger community (44,140 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose PySceneDetect if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.