head to head · open source
orm vs FreeSql
orm has 47,640 GitHub stars, 2,538 forks, 2,627 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. FreeSql has 4,403 stars, 910 forks, 178 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. orm leads on adoption by 982% (47,640 vs 4,403 stars). orm is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; FreeSql is written in C# under MIT. orm has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, FreeSql 21%. orm was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (mysql), 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
| orm | FreeSql | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 48K | ★ 4.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-07-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 910 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick orm if
- You weight community size — 48K 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 FreeSql if
- You want the FreeSql feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and FreeSql fits your workflow better
About orm
Prisma ORM is a next generation TypeScript ORM for Node.js and TypeScript applications, supporting PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, SQLite, MongoDB, and CockroachDB, and it is aimed at developers and teams building data backed applications in that ecosystem.
About FreeSql
FreeSql is an MIT licensed object relational mapper for .NET, written in C and usable from C and VB.NET, which its maintainers describe as the first AOT ORM, and it is aimed at .NET teams that want a single data access layer across many relational and analytical databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite, Firebird, ClickHouse, DuckDB, TDengine, QuestDB, MsAccess and a group of Chinese domestic engines.
read the full FreeSql overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is orm or FreeSql more popular?
orm has 47,640 GitHub stars and FreeSql has 4,403. orm has the larger community by that measure.
Are orm and FreeSql free?
Both are open source. orm is licensed under Apache-2.0 and FreeSql under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between orm and FreeSql?
orm is written in TypeScript and FreeSql 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, orm or FreeSql?
Choose orm if you want the larger community (47,640 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose FreeSql if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.