head to head · open source
aframe vs OpenRA
aframe has 17,635 GitHub stars, 4,396 forks, 338 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. OpenRA has 17,408 stars, 3,048 forks, 1,598 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. aframe leads on adoption by 1% (17,635 vs 17,408 stars). aframe is written in JavaScript under MIT; OpenRA is written in C# under GPL-3.0. aframe has attracted 25% as many forks as stars, OpenRA 18%. OpenRA was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (game-engine), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| aframe | OpenRA | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 17K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-07-13 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 3.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick aframe if
- You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenRA if
- You want the OpenRA feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and OpenRA fits your workflow better
About aframe
A Frame is an MIT licensed JavaScript web framework built on top of three.js that lets anyone who can write HTML build browser based 3D, augmented reality and virtual reality experiences running on desktop, mobile and any WebXR capable headset.
read the full aframe overview →
About OpenRA
OpenRA is a libre, free and open source real time strategy game engine written in C with SDL and OpenGL, built for players, mappers and modders who want to run and extend early Westwood classics such as Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Dune 2000 on Windows, Linux, BSD and Mac OS X.
read the full OpenRA overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is aframe or OpenRA more popular?
aframe has 17,635 GitHub stars and OpenRA has 17,408. aframe has the larger community by that measure.
Are aframe and OpenRA free?
Both are open source. aframe is licensed under MIT and OpenRA under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between aframe and OpenRA?
aframe is written in JavaScript and OpenRA in C#. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, aframe or OpenRA?
Choose aframe if you want the larger community (17,635 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose OpenRA if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.