head to head · open source
plannotator vs gentle-shell
plannotator has 9,825 GitHub stars, 735 forks, 155 open issues and last shipped yesterday. gentle-shell has 1,527 stars, 248 forks, 369 open issues and last shipped yesterday. plannotator leads on adoption by 543% (9,825 vs 1,527 stars). plannotator is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; gentle-shell is written in TypeScript under MIT. plannotator has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, gentle-shell 16%. plannotator was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (code-review), 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
| plannotator | gentle-shell | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.8K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 735 | ⑂ 248 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick plannotator if
- You weight community size — 9.8K 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 gentle-shell if
- You want the gentle-shell feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and gentle-shell fits your workflow better
About plannotator
Everything you need to annotate and stay in the loop with your agents Markdown Review • Code Review • HTML Artifacts Annotate plans, specs, markdown, and HTML before implementation. Review diffs and PRs. Send feedback to your agent. Watch the og demo · Installation guide · Official site · Visual HTML Skills · Herdr Annotate Plannotator Plannotator is a local, browser based review surface for AI coding agents: Claude Code, Codex, Copilot CLI, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Kiro, Droid, Amp, and Pi. It plugs directly into your agent through its hooks and commands. When the agent proposes a plan, html, or finishes writing…
read the full plannotator overview →
About gentle-shell
gentle shell™ Your coding agent for controlled development in the workspace you lead. Website · Quickstart · Docs · Wiki Your terminal can run an agent. Your workspace should help you lead it. gentle shell is your coding agent, bringing your changes, tasks, and engineering workflow together—built for Pi. One workspace. A coding agent you direct. A workflow you can inspect. BUILT FOR PI · Coding agent workspace · Focused agents · ODD + optional SDD ★ Star gentle shell on GitHub Built for Pi. Shaped by Gentle AI. Features gentle shell — Your coding agent, in the workspace you lead A complete workspace for the…
read the full gentle-shell overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is plannotator or gentle-shell more popular?
plannotator has 9,825 GitHub stars and gentle-shell has 1,527. plannotator has the larger community by that measure.
Are plannotator and gentle-shell free?
Both are open source. plannotator is licensed under Apache-2.0 and gentle-shell under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between plannotator and gentle-shell?
plannotator is written in TypeScript and gentle-shell 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, plannotator or gentle-shell?
Choose plannotator if you want the larger community (9,825 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose gentle-shell if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.