head to head · open source
orm vs Mathesar
orm has 47,640 GitHub stars, 2,538 forks, 2,627 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Mathesar has 5,127 stars, 486 forks, 317 open issues and last shipped yesterday. orm leads on adoption by 829% (47,640 vs 5,127 stars). orm is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Mathesar is written in Svelte under GPL-3.0. orm has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, Mathesar 9%. Mathesar was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (javascript, postgres), 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 | Mathesar | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 48K | ★ 5.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Svelte |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 486 |
| 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 Mathesar if
- You want the Mathesar feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Svelte
- You evaluated both and Mathesar 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 Mathesar
Mathesar is a self hosted, open source web application that provides a spreadsheet like interface for PostgreSQL databases, designed for users of all technical skill levels to view, edit, query, and collaborate on data without writing code.
read the full Mathesar overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is orm or Mathesar more popular?
orm has 47,640 GitHub stars and Mathesar has 5,127. orm has the larger community by that measure.
Are orm and Mathesar free?
Both are open source. orm is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Mathesar under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between orm and Mathesar?
orm is written in TypeScript and Mathesar in Svelte. 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 Mathesar?
Choose orm if you want the larger community (47,640 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Mathesar if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.