head to head · open source
archify vs Onlook
archify has 93,183 GitHub stars, 6,349 forks, 134 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Onlook has 27,108 stars, 2,139 forks, 380 open issues and last shipped 15 days ago. archify leads on adoption by 244% (93,183 vs 27,108 stars). archify is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; Onlook is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. archify has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Onlook 8%. archify was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (claude-code, codex), 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
| archify | Onlook | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 93K | ★ 27K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-10-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.3K | ⑂ 2.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick archify if
- You weight community size — 93K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Onlook if
- You want the Onlook 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 Onlook fits your workflow better
About archify
English · 简体中文 Archify Turn a codebase or system description into a polished, interactive system map — directly in chat. Archify is a Node.js rendering and validation system for Cursor, Claude Code, Codex CLI, and OpenCode. Agents produce typed JSON IR; Archify deterministically compiles it into HTML/SVG. Open it and present — five diagram types, four presets, dark/light themes, built in brand marks, and finite motion Review architecture changes before merge — compare two validated snapshots as Before / Delta / After, with exact added, removed, changed, moved, and rerouted facts Every interaction stays grounded…
read the full archify overview →
About Onlook
Onlook The design tool for AI native designers — now in early access. Onlook makes designing on top of your codebase effortless. Craft exceptional experiences with AI in code. → Join the waitlist 👨💻👩💻👨💻 We're hiring engineers in SF! 👩💻👨💻👩💻 View Demo · Report Bug · Request Feature [![Discord][discord shield]][discord url] [![LinkedIn][linkedin shield]][linkedin url] [![Twitter][twitter shield]][twitter url] 中文 Español Deutsch français Português Русский 日本語 한국어 This is the open source visual editor that started Onlook (Next.js + Tailwind). The hosted product we're building next, for AI native…
read the full Onlook overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is archify or Onlook more popular?
archify has 93,183 GitHub stars and Onlook has 27,108. archify has the larger community by that measure.
Are archify and Onlook free?
Both are open source. archify is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Onlook under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between archify and Onlook?
archify is written in JavaScript and Onlook 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, archify or Onlook?
Choose archify if you want the larger community (93,183 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Onlook if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.