head to head · open source
OpenShot vs velorn
OpenShot has 6,604 GitHub stars, 819 forks, 418 open issues and last shipped yesterday. velorn has 500 stars, 69 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. OpenShot leads on adoption by 1,221% (6,604 vs 500 stars). OpenShot is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; velorn is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. OpenShot has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, velorn 14%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| OpenShot | velorn | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 6.6K | ★ 500 |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-07 | 2026-09-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 819 | ⑂ 69 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenShot if
- You weight community size — 6.6K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick velorn if
- You want the velorn feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and velorn fits your workflow better
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 →
About velorn
Velorn is an open source, cross platform desktop video editor and AI video workstation for editors and creators who want to plan, generate, edit, and export media inside a single project based app, with more than 100 MCP tools exposed to a local agent.
read the full velorn overview →
More in Miscellaneous
Related comparisons
More Photo & Video Editors projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Photo & Video Editors field.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenShot or velorn more popular?
OpenShot has 6,604 GitHub stars and velorn has 500. OpenShot has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenShot and velorn free?
Both are open source. OpenShot has no licence declared in this registry, and velorn is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenShot and velorn?
OpenShot is written in Python and velorn in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenShot or velorn?
Choose OpenShot if you want the larger community (6,604 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose velorn if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.