head to head · open source
Onlook vs netbeans
Onlook has 26,766 GitHub stars, 2,106 forks, 380 open issues and last shipped 26 days ago. netbeans has 3,139 stars, 933 forks, 1,081 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Onlook leads on adoption by 753% (26,766 vs 3,139 stars). Onlook is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; netbeans is written in Java under Apache-2.0. Onlook has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, netbeans 30%. netbeans was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ide), 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Onlook | netbeans | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-08-25 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 933 |
| 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 netbeans if
- You want the netbeans feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and netbeans 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 netbeans
Apache NetBeans is an Apache 2.0 open source development environment, tooling platform and application framework written in Java, aimed at developers who write and run Java applications and at teams that build desktop software on top of the NetBeans Platform.
read the full netbeans overview →
More in Developer Tools
Related comparisons
More Frameworks & Platforms projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Frameworks & Platforms field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Onlook or netbeans more popular?
Onlook has 26,766 GitHub stars and netbeans has 3,139. Onlook has the larger community by that measure.
Are Onlook and netbeans free?
Both are open source. Onlook is licensed under Apache-2.0 and netbeans under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Onlook and netbeans?
Onlook is written in TypeScript and netbeans in Java. 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 netbeans?
Choose Onlook if you want the larger community (26,766 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose netbeans if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.