head to head · open source
OpenCut vs Hey
OpenCut has 89,680 GitHub stars, 8,852 forks, 378 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. Hey has 29,369 stars, 1,806 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. OpenCut leads on adoption by 205% (89,680 vs 29,369 stars). OpenCut is written in TypeScript under MIT; Hey is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. OpenCut has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Hey 6%. Hey 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| OpenCut | Hey | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 29K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-10 | 2026-09-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.9K | ⑂ 1.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenCut if
- You weight community size — 90K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Hey if
- You want the Hey feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Hey 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 Hey
Hey (hey.xyz) is a decentralized, permissionless social media application built on the Lens Protocol, aimed at Web3 developers and teams who want to self host or fork a blockchain backed social client.
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Photo & Video Editors projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Photo & Video Editors field.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCut or Hey more popular?
OpenCut has 89,680 GitHub stars and Hey has 29,369. OpenCut has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenCut and Hey free?
Both are open source. OpenCut is licensed under MIT and Hey under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenCut and Hey?
OpenCut is written in TypeScript and Hey 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, OpenCut or Hey?
Choose OpenCut if you want the larger community (89,680 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Hey if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.