head to head · open source
opcode vs NetPad
opcode has 22,415 GitHub stars, 1,711 forks, 332 open issues and last shipped 23 days ago. NetPad has 2,278 stars, 132 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. opcode leads on adoption by 884% (22,415 vs 2,278 stars). opcode is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; NetPad is written in C# under MIT. opcode has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, NetPad 6%. 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 | NetPad | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 22K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 132 |
| 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 NetPad if
- You want the NetPad feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and NetPad 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 NetPad
NetPad is an open source, cross platform C editor and playground for developers who want to run C snippets instantly without creating and managing projects.
read the full NetPad overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is opcode or NetPad more popular?
opcode has 22,415 GitHub stars and NetPad has 2,278. opcode has the larger community by that measure.
Are opcode and NetPad free?
Both are open source. opcode is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and NetPad under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between opcode and NetPad?
opcode is written in TypeScript and NetPad in C#. 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 NetPad?
Choose opcode if you want the larger community (22,415 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose NetPad if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.