head to head · open source
OpenCut vs effectcraft
OpenCut has 93,587 GitHub stars, 9,185 forks, 378 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. effectcraft has 5,065 stars, 2,456 forks, 317 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenCut leads on adoption by 1,748% (93,587 vs 5,065 stars). OpenCut is written in TypeScript under MIT; effectcraft is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. OpenCut has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, effectcraft 48%. effectcraft 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 | effectcraft | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 94K | ★ 5.1K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-10-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.2K | ⑂ 2.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenCut if
- You weight community size — 94K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick effectcraft if
- You want the effectcraft feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and effectcraft fits your workflow better
About OpenCut
OpenCut is a free, MIT licensed video editor that runs in the browser and is being rebuilt to serve web, desktop, and mobile from a single codebase, aimed at creators who want an open source alternative to CapCut.
read the full OpenCut overview →
About effectcraft
EffectCraft is a free, open source motion graphics and visual effects compositor for anyone who would otherwise reach for Adobe After Effects — animators, compositors, and motion designers who want native desktop apps and a browser build without a subscription.
read the full effectcraft overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCut or effectcraft more popular?
OpenCut has 93,587 GitHub stars and effectcraft has 5,065. OpenCut has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenCut and effectcraft free?
Both are open source. OpenCut is licensed under MIT and effectcraft under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenCut and effectcraft?
OpenCut is written in TypeScript and effectcraft in Rust. 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 effectcraft?
Choose OpenCut if you want the larger community (93,587 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose effectcraft if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.