head to head · open source
Plane vs Spark
Plane has 59,567 GitHub stars, 5,785 forks, 1,103 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Spark has 604 stars, 445 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Plane leads on adoption by 9,762% (59,567 vs 604 stars). Plane is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Spark is written in Java under Apache-2.0. Plane has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Spark 74%. Plane 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
| Plane | Spark | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 60K | ★ 604 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 445 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Plane if
- You weight community size — 60K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Spark if
- You want the Spark feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and Spark fits your workflow better
About Plane
Plane is an open source project management platform for teams that need to track issues, run cycles, and manage product roadmaps without handing their data to a proprietary SaaS vendor, and it is aimed at engineering, product, and operations teams that would otherwise pay for Jira, Linear, ClickUp, or Asana.
read the full Plane overview →
About Spark
Spark ===== [Spark] is an Open Source, cross platform IM client optimized for businesses and organizations. Group Chat In line Spell Checking End to end (E2E) Message Encryption with OTR. Tabbed Conversations File Transfer Screen Capture Sharing Message translations. Combined with the [Openfire] server, [Spark] is the easiest and best alternative to using unsecure public IM networks. [Spark] an [Ignite Realtime] community project. Resources Translation: Documentation: Community: Bug Tracker: Nightly Builds: XMPP compliance: Install Download the last release from the GitHub releases page or nightly build with the …
read the full Spark overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Plane or Spark more popular?
Plane has 59,567 GitHub stars and Spark has 604. Plane has the larger community by that measure.
Are Plane and Spark free?
Both are open source. Plane is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Spark under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Plane and Spark?
Plane is written in TypeScript and Spark in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Plane or Spark?
Choose Plane if you want the larger community (59,567 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Spark if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.