head to head · open source
opcode vs phoenix
opcode has 22,427 GitHub stars, 1,712 forks, 332 open issues and last shipped 17 days ago. phoenix has 2,998 stars, 205 forks, 266 open issues and last shipped yesterday. opcode leads on adoption by 648% (22,427 vs 2,998 stars). opcode is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; phoenix is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0. opcode has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, phoenix 7%. phoenix 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 | phoenix | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 22K | ★ 3.0K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-10-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 205 |
| 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 phoenix if
- You want the phoenix feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and phoenix 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 phoenix
Phoenix is a free, open source text editor for web developers that runs in the browser and aims to make editing JavaScript, HTML, and CSS feel as approachable as playing a video game.
read the full phoenix overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is opcode or phoenix more popular?
opcode has 22,427 GitHub stars and phoenix has 2,998. opcode has the larger community by that measure.
Are opcode and phoenix free?
Both are open source. opcode is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and phoenix under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between opcode and phoenix?
opcode is written in TypeScript and phoenix in JavaScript. 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 phoenix?
Choose opcode if you want the larger community (22,427 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose phoenix if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.