head to head · open source
Onlook vs KeystoneJS
Onlook has 26,752 GitHub stars, 2,101 forks, 380 open issues and last shipped 24 days ago. KeystoneJS has 9,974 stars, 1,263 forks, 138 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Onlook leads on adoption by 168% (26,752 vs 9,974 stars). Onlook is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; KeystoneJS is written in TypeScript under MIT. Onlook has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, KeystoneJS 13%. KeystoneJS 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 | KeystoneJS | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 10.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-25 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| 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 KeystoneJS if
- You want the KeystoneJS feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and KeystoneJS 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 KeystoneJS
KeystoneJS is an open source Node.js CMS and application framework written in TypeScript and licensed under the MIT License. It lives in the Node.js, GraphQL, and React ecosystem, and its GitHub description calls it a headless CMS for Node.js. The project addresses the need to build a custom back end without writing all of the common content management plumbing by hand.
read the full KeystoneJS overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Onlook or KeystoneJS more popular?
Onlook has 26,752 GitHub stars and KeystoneJS has 9,974. Onlook has the larger community by that measure.
Are Onlook and KeystoneJS free?
Both are open source. Onlook is licensed under Apache-2.0 and KeystoneJS under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Onlook and KeystoneJS?
Onlook is written in TypeScript and KeystoneJS 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 KeystoneJS?
Choose Onlook if you want the larger community (26,752 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose KeystoneJS if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.