head to head · open source
Plane vs Spark
Plane has 61,880 GitHub stars, 6,282 forks, 1,103 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Spark has 606 stars, 445 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Plane leads on adoption by 10,111% (61,880 vs 606 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 73%. 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 | ★ 62K | ★ 606 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.3K | ⑂ 445 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Plane if
- You weight community size — 62K 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
Modern project management for all teams Website • Forum • X • Documentation Meet Plane, an open source project management tool to track issues, run sprints cycles, and manage product roadmaps without the chaos of managing the tool itself. 🧘♀️ Plane is evolving every day. Your suggestions, ideas, and reported bugs help us immensely. Do not hesitate to join in the conversation on Forum or raise a GitHub issue. We read everything and respond to most. 🚀 Installation Getting started with Plane is simple. Choose the setup that works best for you: Plane Cloud Sign up for a free account on Plane Cloud—it's the…
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 61,880 GitHub stars and Spark has 606. 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 (61,880 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.