head to head · open source
OpenCut vs PhotoEditor
OpenCut has 97,156 GitHub stars, 9,671 forks, 378 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. PhotoEditor has 4,531 stars, 1,051 forks, 57 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. OpenCut leads on adoption by 2,044% (97,156 vs 4,531 stars). OpenCut is written in TypeScript under MIT; PhotoEditor is written in Kotlin under MIT. OpenCut has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, PhotoEditor 23%. PhotoEditor 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 | PhotoEditor | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 97K | ★ 4.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.7K | ⑂ 1.1K |
| 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 PhotoEditor if
- You want the PhotoEditor feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and PhotoEditor 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 PhotoEditor
PhotoEditor A Photo Editor library with simple, easy support for image editing using Paints, Text, Filters, Emoji and Sticker like stories. Download link Features Drawing on image with option to change its Brush's Color, Size, Opacity, Erasing and basic shapes. Apply Filter Effect on image using MediaEffect Adding/Editing Text with option to change its Color with Custom Fonts. Adding Emoji with Custom Emoji Fonts. Adding Images/Stickers Pinch to Scale and Rotate views. Undo and Redo for Brush and Views. Deleting Views Saving Photo after editing. More FAQ . Lesson Learned from building successful android library…
read the full PhotoEditor overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCut or PhotoEditor more popular?
OpenCut has 97,156 GitHub stars and PhotoEditor has 4,531. OpenCut has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenCut and PhotoEditor free?
Both are open source. OpenCut is licensed under MIT and PhotoEditor under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenCut and PhotoEditor?
OpenCut is written in TypeScript and PhotoEditor in Kotlin. 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 PhotoEditor?
Choose OpenCut if you want the larger community (97,156 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose PhotoEditor if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.