head to head · open source
Darktable vs OpenShot
Darktable has 13,106 GitHub stars, 1,434 forks, 678 open issues and last shipped today. OpenShot has 6,523 stars, 812 forks, 418 open issues and last shipped today. Darktable leads on adoption by 101% (13,106 vs 6,523 stars). Darktable is written in C under GPL-3.0; OpenShot is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence. Darktable has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, OpenShot 12%. OpenShot 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
| Darktable | OpenShot | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 6.5K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | C | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.4K | ⑂ 812 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Darktable if
- You weight community size — 13K 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 OpenShot if
- You want the OpenShot feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and OpenShot fits your workflow better
About Darktable
Darktable is an open source photography workflow application and non destructive raw developer. It acts as a virtual lighttable and darkroom for photographers, and it lives in the open source photography ecosystem as a C project licensed under the GPL 3.0. It manages digital negatives in a database, lets a user view them through a zoomable lighttable, and supports raw development, enhancement, and export to local or remote storage.
read the full Darktable overview →
About OpenShot
OpenShot Video Editor is a free, cross platform, open source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows, built for hobbyists, educators, and small production teams who want timeline based editing and animation without a commercial subscription.
read the full OpenShot overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Darktable or OpenShot more popular?
Darktable has 13,106 GitHub stars and OpenShot has 6,523. Darktable has the larger community by that measure.
Are Darktable and OpenShot free?
Both are open source. Darktable is licensed under GPL-3.0, and OpenShot has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Darktable and OpenShot?
Darktable is written in C and OpenShot in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Darktable or OpenShot?
Choose Darktable if you want the larger community (13,106 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose OpenShot if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.