head to head · open source
Onlook vs HeyForm
Onlook has 26,752 GitHub stars, 2,101 forks, 380 open issues and last shipped 24 days ago. HeyForm has 8,977 stars, 708 forks, 10 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. Onlook leads on adoption by 198% (26,752 vs 8,977 stars). Onlook is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; HeyForm is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Onlook has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, HeyForm 8%. HeyForm 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
| Onlook | HeyForm | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 9.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-25 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 708 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Onlook if
- You weight community size — 27K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick HeyForm if
- You want the HeyForm feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and HeyForm fits your workflow better
About Onlook
Onlook is an open source, Apache 2.0 visual editor for Next.js and TailwindCSS projects that lets designers and developers edit a running React app in the browser while the underlying code changes in real time.
read the full Onlook overview →
About HeyForm
HeyForm is an open source form builder written in TypeScript and released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. It lives in the JavaScript and TypeScript ecosystem, and its repository is organised as a monorepo of packages: a Node server, a React webapp, a form renderer, an embeddable JavaScript library, and shared utilities and type definitions used by both the server and the webapp. The project describes itself as an open source form builder built for small business success, and it is positioned as an open alternative to Typeform.
read the full HeyForm overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Onlook or HeyForm more popular?
Onlook has 26,752 GitHub stars and HeyForm has 8,977. Onlook has the larger community by that measure.
Are Onlook and HeyForm free?
Both are open source. Onlook is licensed under Apache-2.0 and HeyForm under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Onlook and HeyForm?
Onlook is written in TypeScript and HeyForm 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, Onlook or HeyForm?
Choose Onlook if you want the larger community (26,752 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose HeyForm if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.