head to head · open source
Paperclip vs Forgecode
Paperclip has 80,932 GitHub stars, 14,855 forks, 5,464 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Forgecode has 7,632 stars, 1,464 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Paperclip leads on adoption by 960% (80,932 vs 7,632 stars). Paperclip is written in TypeScript under MIT; Forgecode is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. Paperclip has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, Forgecode 19%. Paperclip 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
| Paperclip | Forgecode | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 81K | ★ 7.6K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 15K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Paperclip if
- You weight community size — 81K 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 Paperclip
Paperclip is an open source orchestration platform for managing teams of AI agents in production environments. It lives in the Node.js and React ecosystem and is licensed under MIT. The project addresses the operational chaos that arises when deploying multiple autonomous AI agents—such as OpenClaw, Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor—across an organization. Without coordination, teams face untraceable workflows, runaway costs, misaligned goals, and poor governance. Paperclip solves this by providing a unified dashboard that enforces org structure, budget controls, goal alignment, and auditability across heterogeneous …
read the full Paperclip overview →
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 Paperclip or Forgecode more popular?
Paperclip has 80,932 GitHub stars and Forgecode has 7,632. Paperclip has the larger community by that measure.
Are Paperclip and Forgecode free?
Both are open source. Paperclip is licensed under MIT and Forgecode under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Paperclip and Forgecode?
Paperclip 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, Paperclip or Forgecode?
Choose Paperclip if you want the larger community (80,932 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Forgecode if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.