head to head · open source
OpenCut vs better-shot
OpenCut has 97,156 GitHub stars, 9,671 forks, 378 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. better-shot has 2,431 stars, 148 forks, 11 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. OpenCut leads on adoption by 3,897% (97,156 vs 2,431 stars). OpenCut is written in TypeScript under MIT; better-shot is written in Swift under a custom or non-standard licence. OpenCut has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, better-shot 6%. better-shot 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
| OpenCut | better-shot | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 97K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-10-24 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.7K | ⑂ 148 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenCut if
- You weight community size — 97K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick better-shot if
- You want the better-shot feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and better-shot fits your workflow better
About OpenCut
OpenCut A free and open source video editor for web, desktop, and mobile. Status OpenCut is being rewritten from the ground up. What's coming: An Editor API First class third party plugins (made possible by a plugin first architecture) Desktop, mobile, and browser from one codebase (Rust core) MCP server (for AI agents) Headless mode (automation, batch rendering) A scripting tab directly in the editor You can still find the previous version at opencut app/opencut classic, which is the one to reach for today. opencut.app still runs the classic version. The rewrite will live at new.opencut.app until it's ready to…
read the full OpenCut overview →
About better-shot
BetterShot One app for the whole screen. Screenshots, screen recording, and a video editor, native on macOS. An open source alternative to CleanShot X and Loom with no subscription, no account, and no telemetry. Nothing leaves your Mac unless you share it, and shares go to storage you own. Features Screenshots: region, fullscreen, and window capture with macOS's native selector. OCR text extraction and hex color picker included. Screenshot saving: Copy is clipboard only for every capture mode and in the editor. Screenshots stay in private working storage until you choose Save or Export; editor Save also works…
read the full better-shot overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCut or better-shot more popular?
OpenCut has 97,156 GitHub stars and better-shot has 2,431. OpenCut has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenCut and better-shot free?
Both are open source. OpenCut is licensed under MIT, and better-shot has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenCut and better-shot?
OpenCut is written in TypeScript and better-shot in Swift. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenCut or better-shot?
Choose OpenCut if you want the larger community (97,156 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose better-shot if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.