head to head · open source
opcode vs ecode
opcode has 22,404 GitHub stars, 1,721 forks, 332 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. ecode has 1,680 stars, 29 forks, 34 open issues and last shipped 16 days ago. opcode leads on adoption by 1,234% (22,404 vs 1,680 stars). opcode is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; ecode is written in Lua under MIT. opcode has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, ecode 2%. opcode 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.
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Side by side
| opcode | ecode | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 22K | ★ 1.7K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Lua |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 29 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick opcode if
- You weight community size — 22K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ecode if
- You want the ecode feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You evaluated both and ecode fits your workflow better
About opcode
opcode is an open source desktop GUI application and toolkit for Claude Code that provides a visual command centre for projects, sessions, custom agents, Model Context Protocol servers, checkpoints, and API usage, aimed at developers who already work with Claude Code from the command line and want a graphical layer over it.
read the full opcode overview →
About ecode
ecode is a lightweight, multi platform code editor built on the hardware accelerated eepp GUI for developers who want responsiveness and performance on modern hardware, released under the MIT licence.
read the full ecode overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is opcode or ecode more popular?
opcode has 22,404 GitHub stars and ecode has 1,680. opcode has the larger community by that measure.
Are opcode and ecode free?
Both are open source. opcode is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ecode under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between opcode and ecode?
opcode is written in TypeScript and ecode in Lua. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, opcode or ecode?
Choose opcode if you want the larger community (22,404 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose ecode if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.