head to head · open source
OpenRA vs azerothcore-wotlk
OpenRA has 17,736 GitHub stars, 3,112 forks, 1,598 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. azerothcore-wotlk has 9,148 stars, 3,948 forks, 2,445 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. OpenRA leads on adoption by 94% (17,736 vs 9,148 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 | ★ 18K | ★ 9.1K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C# | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-10-28 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 3.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenRA if
- You weight community size — 18K 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 A Libre/Free Real Time Strategy game engine supporting early Westwood classics. Website: Chat: openra on Libera (web) or Discord Repository: Please read the FAQ in our Wiki and report problems at Join the Forum for discussion. Play Distributed mods include a reimagining of Command & Conquer: Red Alert Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn Dune 2000 EA has not endorsed and does not support this product. Check our Playing the Game Guide to win multiplayer matches. Contribute Please read INSTALL.md and Compiling on how to set up an OpenRA development environment. See Hacking for a (now very outdated) overview of…
read the full OpenRA overview →
About azerothcore-wotlk
AzerothCore Build Status Introduction AzerothCore is an open source game server application and framework designed for hosting massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs). It is based on the popular MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW) and seeks to recreate the gameplay experience of the original game from patch 3.3.5a. The original code is based on MaNGOS, TrinityCore, and SunwellCore and has since then had extensive development to improve stability, in game mechanics, and modularity to the game. AC has also grown into a community driven project with a significant number of contributors and developers…
read the full azerothcore-wotlk overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenRA or azerothcore-wotlk more popular?
OpenRA has 17,736 GitHub stars and azerothcore-wotlk has 9,148. 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 (17,736 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.