head to head · open source
OpenRA vs azerothcore-wotlk
OpenRA has 17,408 GitHub stars, 3,048 forks, 1,598 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. azerothcore-wotlk has 8,955 stars, 3,807 forks, 2,445 open issues and last shipped today. OpenRA leads on adoption by 94% (17,408 vs 8,955 stars). OpenRA is written in C# under GPL-3.0; azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. OpenRA has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, azerothcore-wotlk 43%. azerothcore-wotlk was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (game, hacktoberfest), 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
| OpenRA | azerothcore-wotlk | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 9.0K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C# | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-09-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 3.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenRA if
- You weight community size — 17K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick azerothcore-wotlk if
- You want the azerothcore-wotlk feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and azerothcore-wotlk fits your workflow better
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 →
About azerothcore-wotlk
AzerothCore (azerothcore wotlk) is an open source, modular C++ game server and framework that recreates the World of Warcraft patch 3.3.5a experience, built for people who want to run and extend their own MMORPG server rather than pay for one.
read the full azerothcore-wotlk overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenRA or azerothcore-wotlk more popular?
OpenRA has 17,408 GitHub stars and azerothcore-wotlk has 8,955. OpenRA has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenRA and azerothcore-wotlk free?
Both are open source. OpenRA is licensed under GPL-3.0 and azerothcore-wotlk under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenRA and azerothcore-wotlk?
OpenRA is written in C# and azerothcore-wotlk 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, OpenRA or azerothcore-wotlk?
Choose OpenRA if you want the larger community (17,408 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose azerothcore-wotlk if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.