head to head · open source
Pearcleaner vs Edge-Drop
Pearcleaner has 14,680 GitHub stars, 378 forks, 84 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. Edge-Drop has 578 stars, 38 forks, 22 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Pearcleaner leads on adoption by 2,440% (14,680 vs 578 stars). Pearcleaner is written in Swift under a custom or non-standard licence; Edge-Drop is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Pearcleaner has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, Edge-Drop 7%. Edge-Drop 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
| Pearcleaner | Edge-Drop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 578 |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Swift | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-06-22 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 378 | ⑂ 38 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Pearcleaner if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Edge-Drop if
- You want the Edge-Drop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Edge-Drop fits your workflow better
About Pearcleaner
Pearcleaner is a free, source available, fair code licensed macOS application written in Swift and listed under Productivity & Utilities / System Cleanup & Optimization. It is described as a Mac app cleaner inspired by Freemacsoft's AppCleaner and by Sun Knudsen's Privacy Guides post about an app cleaner script. The project's homepage is hosted at itsalin.com, and the repository states that this is the only legitimate website owned by the author.
read the full Pearcleaner overview →
About Edge-Drop
Edge Drop is a free, Apache 2.0 licensed Windows desktop clipboard shelf that hides invisibly on the edge of the screen and springs open when the cursor approaches it, letting developers and designers drag text, links, images, and files directly into any application they are already using.
read the full Edge-Drop overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Pearcleaner or Edge-Drop more popular?
Pearcleaner has 14,680 GitHub stars and Edge-Drop has 578. Pearcleaner has the larger community by that measure.
Are Pearcleaner and Edge-Drop free?
Both are open source. Pearcleaner has no licence declared in this registry, and Edge-Drop is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Pearcleaner and Edge-Drop?
Pearcleaner is written in Swift and Edge-Drop 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, Pearcleaner or Edge-Drop?
Choose Pearcleaner if you want the larger community (14,680 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Edge-Drop if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.