head to head · open source
opcode vs sidex
opcode has 22,409 GitHub stars, 1,720 forks, 332 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. sidex has 2,977 stars, 241 forks, 50 open issues and last shipped 25 days ago. opcode leads on adoption by 653% (22,409 vs 2,977 stars). opcode is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; sidex is written in TypeScript under MIT. opcode has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, sidex 8%. 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 | sidex | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 22K | ★ 3.0K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 241 |
| 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 sidex if
- You want the sidex feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and sidex 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 sidex
SideX is a port of Visual Studio Code that replaces Electron with Tauri — a Rust backend running against the operating system's native webview — for developers who want the VS Code workbench, editor, terminal and Git tooling without the bundled browser that normally comes with them.
read the full sidex overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is opcode or sidex more popular?
opcode has 22,409 GitHub stars and sidex has 2,977. opcode has the larger community by that measure.
Are opcode and sidex free?
Both are open source. opcode is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and sidex under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between opcode and sidex?
opcode is written in TypeScript and sidex 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, opcode or sidex?
Choose opcode if you want the larger community (22,409 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose sidex if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.