head to head · open source
OpenCode vs Orbital
OpenCode has 208,150 GitHub stars, 27,350 forks, 5,727 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Orbital has 360 stars, 14 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. OpenCode leads on adoption by 57,719% (208,150 vs 360 stars). OpenCode is written in TypeScript under MIT; Orbital is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. OpenCode has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Orbital 4%. OpenCode was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| OpenCode | Orbital | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 208K | ★ 360 |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-06-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 27K | ⑂ 14 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenCode if
- You weight community size — 208K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Orbital if
- You want the Orbital feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Orbital fits your workflow better
About OpenCode
OpenCode is an open source AI coding agent designed to operate across terminal, IDE, and desktop environments. It integrates directly into developer workflows to assist with writing, editing, and understanding code using natural language prompts. Built in TypeScript and licensed under MIT, it runs locally or via a desktop app and supports multiple languages and platforms.
read the full OpenCode overview →
About Orbital
Orbital is an open source data gateway that connects APIs, databases, queues and functions without hand written glue code, aimed at platform, integration and data engineers building BFFs, API composition layers and ETL pipelines.
read the full Orbital overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCode or Orbital more popular?
OpenCode has 208,150 GitHub stars and Orbital has 360. OpenCode has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenCode and Orbital free?
Both are open source. OpenCode is licensed under MIT, and Orbital has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenCode and Orbital?
OpenCode is written in TypeScript and Orbital 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, OpenCode or Orbital?
Choose OpenCode if you want the larger community (208,150 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Orbital if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.