head to head · open source
Metabase vs Ghostwriter
Metabase has 50,114 GitHub stars, 6,968 forks, 4,346 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Ghostwriter has 1,953 stars, 258 forks, 38 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Metabase leads on adoption by 2,466% (50,114 vs 1,953 stars). Metabase is written in Clojure under a custom or non-standard licence; Ghostwriter is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. Metabase has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, Ghostwriter 13%. Metabase 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
| Metabase | Ghostwriter | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 50K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | Custom / other | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | Clojure | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.0K | ⑂ 258 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Metabase if
- You weight community size — 50K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Clojure
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Ghostwriter if
- You want the Ghostwriter 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 Ghostwriter fits your workflow better
About Metabase
Metabase Metabase is the easy, open source way for everyone in your company to ask questions and learn from data. Get started The easiest way to get started with Metabase is to sign up for a free trial of Metabase Cloud. You get expert support, backups, upgrades, an SMTP server, SSL certificate, SoC2 Type 2 security auditing, and more (plus your money goes toward improving a major open source project). Check out our quick overview of cloud vs self hosting. If you need to, you can always switch to self hosting Metabase at any time (or vice versa). Key Features Set up in five minutes (we're not kidding), or have…
read the full Metabase overview →
About Ghostwriter
Ghostwriter Ghostwriter is an open source platform designed to enhance offensive security operations by simplifying report writing, asset tracking, and assessment management. It offers tools for managing clients, creating a reusable findings library, and organizing the infrastructure and domains utilized during assessments. With its powerful reporting engine, Ghostwriter includes comprehensive collaborative writing features and customizable report templates, allowing teams to produce polished deliverables with minimal manual effort. Ghostwriter comes equipped with "enterprise level" features, such as role based…
read the full Ghostwriter overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Metabase or Ghostwriter more popular?
Metabase has 50,114 GitHub stars and Ghostwriter has 1,953. Metabase has the larger community by that measure.
Are Metabase and Ghostwriter free?
Both are open source. Metabase has no licence declared in this registry, and Ghostwriter is licensed under BSD-3-Clause. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Metabase and Ghostwriter?
Metabase is written in Clojure and Ghostwriter 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, Metabase or Ghostwriter?
Choose Metabase if you want the larger community (50,114 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Ghostwriter if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.