head to head · open source
react vs Onlook
react has 250,602 GitHub stars, 51,379 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Onlook has 26,766 stars, 2,106 forks, 380 open issues and last shipped 26 days ago. react leads on adoption by 836% (250,602 vs 26,766 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; Onlook is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. react has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, Onlook 8%. react was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (frontend), 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
| react | Onlook | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 251K | ★ 27K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 51K | ⑂ 2.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick react if
- You weight community size — 251K stars and counting
- You want the MIT 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 react
React is a JavaScript library under the MIT licence for building user interfaces, using a declarative, component based model that renders both on the web and, through React Native, on mobile.
read the full react overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is react or Onlook more popular?
react has 250,602 GitHub stars and Onlook has 26,766. react has the larger community by that measure.
Are react and Onlook free?
Both are open source. react is licensed under MIT and Onlook under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between react and Onlook?
react 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, react or Onlook?
Choose react if you want the larger community (250,602 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Onlook if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.