head to head · open source
nebula vs simba
nebula has 12,466 GitHub stars, 1,343 forks, 678 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. simba has 1,547 stars, 116 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. nebula leads on adoption by 706% (12,466 vs 1,547 stars). nebula is written in C++ under Apache-2.0; simba is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. nebula has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, simba 7%. nebula was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (knowledge-base), 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.
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Side by side
| nebula | simba | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-08 | 2026-06-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 116 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick nebula if
- You weight community size — 12K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick simba if
- You want the simba feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and simba fits your workflow better
About nebula
English 中文 A distributed, scalable, lightning fast graph database NebulaGraph Introduction NebulaGraph is a popular open source graph database that can handle large volumes of data with milliseconds of latency, scale up quickly, and have the ability to perform fast graph analytics. NebulaGraph has been widely used for social media, recommendation systems, knowledge graphs, security, capital flows, AI, etc. See our users. The following lists some of NebulaGraph features: Symmetrically distributed Storage and computing separation Horizontal scalability Strong data consistency by RAFT protocol OpenCypher compatible…
read the full nebula overview →
About simba
High Efficiency Customer Service Assistant See how easy it is to integrate Simba into your website What is Simba? Simba is an open source customer service assistant built for teams who need full control over their AI. Unlike black box solutions, Simba is designed from the ground up around evaluation and customization , so you can measure performance, iterate fast, and tailor the assistant to your exact needs. Why Simba? Key Features Evaluation First Design Track retrieval accuracy, generation quality, and latency out of the box. Know exactly how your assistant performs. Fully Customizable Swap embedding models…
read the full simba overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is nebula or simba more popular?
nebula has 12,466 GitHub stars and simba has 1,547. nebula has the larger community by that measure.
Are nebula and simba free?
Both are open source. nebula is licensed under Apache-2.0 and simba under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between nebula and simba?
nebula is written in C++ and simba in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, nebula or simba?
Choose nebula if you want the larger community (12,466 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose simba if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.