head to head · open source

OpenRA vs Pumpkin

OpenRA has 17,736 GitHub stars, 3,112 forks, 1,598 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. Pumpkin has 12,856 stars, 995 forks, 452 open issues and last shipped today. OpenRA leads on adoption by 38% (17,736 vs 12,856 stars). OpenRA is written in C# under GPL-3.0; Pumpkin is written in Rust under GPL-3.0. OpenRA has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, Pumpkin 8%. Pumpkin 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.

OpenRA ★ 18K Pumpkin ★ 13K category Miscellaneous

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Side by side

OpenRA Pumpkin
GitHub stars ★ 18K ★ 13K
License GPL-3.0 GPL-3.0
Written in C# Rust
Last push 2026-10-28 2026-11-06
Forks ⑂ 3.1K ⑂ 995
Self-hosting Yes Yes
Data ownership Your server Your server

pick OpenRA if

  • You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
  • You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
  • Your stack matches C#
  • You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance

full OpenRA profile →

pick Pumpkin if

  • You want the Pumpkin feature set and don't need the biggest community
  • You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
  • Your stack matches Rust
  • You evaluated both and Pumpkin fits your workflow better

full Pumpkin profile →

About OpenRA

OpenRA A Libre/Free Real Time Strategy game engine supporting early Westwood classics. Website: Chat: openra on Libera (web) or Discord Repository: Please read the FAQ in our Wiki and report problems at Join the Forum for discussion. Play Distributed mods include a reimagining of Command & Conquer: Red Alert Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn Dune 2000 EA has not endorsed and does not support this product. Check our Playing the Game Guide to win multiplayer matches. Contribute Please read INSTALL.md and Compiling on how to set up an OpenRA development environment. See Hacking for a (now very outdated) overview of…

read the full OpenRA overview →

About Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pumpkin is a Minecraft server built entirely in Rust, offering a fast, efficient, and customizable experience. It prioritizes performance and player enjoyment while adhering to the core mechanics of the game. Goals Performance : Leveraging multi threading for maximum speed and efficiency. Compatibility : Supports the latest Java & Bedrock Minecraft server version while adhering to Vanilla game mechanics. Security : Prioritizes security by preventing known security exploits. Flexibility : Highly configurable, with the ability to disable unnecessary features. Extensibility : Provides a foundation for…

read the full Pumpkin overview →

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Frequently asked questions

Is OpenRA or Pumpkin more popular?

OpenRA has 17,736 GitHub stars and Pumpkin has 12,856. OpenRA has the larger community by that measure.

Are OpenRA and Pumpkin free?

Both are open source. OpenRA is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Pumpkin under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.

What is the difference between OpenRA and Pumpkin?

OpenRA is written in C# and Pumpkin 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, OpenRA or Pumpkin?

Choose OpenRA if you want the larger community (17,736 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Pumpkin if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.