head to head · open source
openvidu vs free4chat
openvidu has 2,129 GitHub stars, 477 forks, 103 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. free4chat has 1,185 stars, 166 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped today. openvidu leads on adoption by 80% (2,129 vs 1,185 stars). openvidu is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; free4chat is written in TypeScript under MIT. openvidu has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, free4chat 14%. free4chat was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai-agents, sfu), 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
| openvidu | free4chat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 2.1K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 477 | ⑂ 166 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick openvidu if
- You weight community size — 2.1K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick free4chat if
- You want the free4chat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and free4chat fits your workflow better
About openvidu
OpenVidu is an open source platform for building real time video and audio applications. It lives in the TypeScript, WebRTC, and collaboration software ecosystem, and it is built on LiveKit and mediasoup. The project gives teams a self hosted base for video conferencing, rooms, chat, and media workflows under an Apache 2.0 license.
read the full openvidu overview →
About free4chat
Free4Chat is an MIT licensed, TypeScript system for temporary capability access and collaboration that brings humans and independently running AI agents together in short lived Rooms to exchange realtime context, media, focused Tasks, and artifacts without accounts or a permanent workspace.
read the full free4chat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is openvidu or free4chat more popular?
openvidu has 2,129 GitHub stars and free4chat has 1,185. openvidu has the larger community by that measure.
Are openvidu and free4chat free?
Both are open source. openvidu is licensed under Apache-2.0 and free4chat under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between openvidu and free4chat?
openvidu is written in TypeScript and free4chat in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, openvidu or free4chat?
Choose openvidu if you want the larger community (2,129 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose free4chat if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.