head to head · open source
maigret vs Smithereen
maigret has 37,735 GitHub stars, 2,959 forks, 62 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Smithereen has 546 stars, 36 forks, 44 open issues and last shipped yesterday. maigret leads on adoption by 6,811% (37,735 vs 546 stars). maigret is written in Python under MIT; Smithereen is written in Java under Unlicense. maigret has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Smithereen 7%. maigret 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
| maigret | Smithereen | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 38K | ★ 546 |
| License | MIT | Unlicense |
| Written in | Python | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 36 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick maigret if
- You weight community size — 38K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Smithereen if
- You want the Smithereen feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Unlicense license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and Smithereen fits your workflow better
About maigret
Maigret is an open source Python OSINT tool that builds a dossier on a person from a username alone, checking for accounts across more than 3,000 sites without requiring API keys — it is aimed at OSINT analysts, pentesters, infosec teams, and investigators.
read the full maigret overview →
About Smithereen
Smithereen is a federated, ActivityPub compatible social network server written in Java that gives a self hosted instance friends, walls, and groups, and it is aimed at administrators who want to run their own social space that talks to the wider fediverse rather than renting one from a platform.
read the full Smithereen overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is maigret or Smithereen more popular?
maigret has 37,735 GitHub stars and Smithereen has 546. maigret has the larger community by that measure.
Are maigret and Smithereen free?
Both are open source. maigret is licensed under MIT and Smithereen under Unlicense. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between maigret and Smithereen?
maigret is written in Python and Smithereen in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, maigret or Smithereen?
Choose maigret if you want the larger community (37,735 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Smithereen if its feature set, stack or Unlicense licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.