head to head · open source
puppeteer vs Bknd
puppeteer has 95,591 GitHub stars, 9,579 forks, 259 open issues and last shipped today. Bknd has 3,764 stars, 144 forks, 42 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. puppeteer leads on adoption by 2,440% (95,591 vs 3,764 stars). puppeteer is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Bknd is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. puppeteer has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Bknd 4%. puppeteer 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
| puppeteer | Bknd | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 96K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.6K | ⑂ 144 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick puppeteer if
- You weight community size — 96K 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 Bknd if
- You want the Bknd 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 Bknd fits your workflow better
About puppeteer
Puppeteer is an Apache 2.0 JavaScript and TypeScript library that provides a high level API for driving Chrome and Firefox over the DevTools Protocol or WebDriver BiDi, written for developers who automate browsers from Node.js.
read the full puppeteer overview →
About Bknd
Bknd is a lightweight TypeScript backend platform that provides a visual backend for database management, authentication, media, and workflows. It is positioned as a Firebase and Supabase alternative that can run inside many JavaScript environments, including Next.js, React Router, Astro, Cloudflare, Bun, Node.js, and AWS Lambda.
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Frequently asked questions
Is puppeteer or Bknd more popular?
puppeteer has 95,591 GitHub stars and Bknd has 3,764. puppeteer has the larger community by that measure.
Are puppeteer and Bknd free?
Both are open source. puppeteer is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Bknd under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between puppeteer and Bknd?
puppeteer is written in TypeScript and Bknd 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, puppeteer or Bknd?
Choose puppeteer if you want the larger community (95,591 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Bknd if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.