head to head · open source
Orca vs Forgecode
Orca has 71,017 GitHub stars, 4,642 forks, 5,801 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Forgecode has 7,632 stars, 1,464 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Orca leads on adoption by 831% (71,017 vs 7,632 stars). Orca is written in TypeScript under MIT; Forgecode is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. Orca has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Forgecode 19%. Orca 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
| Orca | Forgecode | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 7.6K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.6K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Orca if
- You weight community size — 71K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Forgecode if
- You want the Forgecode feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Forgecode fits your workflow better
About Orca
Orca is an agent desktop environment (ADE) that runs multiple AI coding agents in parallel, each in its own isolated git worktree. It unifies workflow, monitoring, and collaboration around AI assisted coding across desktop, mobile, and remote runtimes. Built for developers who rely on several AI coding tools simultaneously, Orca eliminates context switching by tracking all agents and their outputs in one place.
About Forgecode
Forgecode is a terminal native AI coding agent written in Rust and built on ZSH that drives Claude, GPT, the O series, Grok, Deepseek, Gemini and more than 300 models through one command line interface, aimed at developers who want an AI pair programmer without leaving the shell.
read the full Forgecode overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Orca or Forgecode more popular?
Orca has 71,017 GitHub stars and Forgecode has 7,632. Orca has the larger community by that measure.
Are Orca and Forgecode free?
Both are open source. Orca is licensed under MIT and Forgecode under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Orca and Forgecode?
Orca is written in TypeScript and Forgecode in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Orca or Forgecode?
Choose Orca if you want the larger community (71,017 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Forgecode if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.