head to head · open source
puppeteer vs devtools-x
puppeteer has 95,669 GitHub stars, 9,588 forks, 259 open issues and last shipped yesterday. devtools-x has 1,537 stars, 75 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. puppeteer leads on adoption by 6,124% (95,669 vs 1,537 stars). puppeteer is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; devtools-x is written in TypeScript under MIT. puppeteer has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, devtools-x 5%. puppeteer was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (developer-tools), 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| puppeteer | devtools-x | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 96K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-07 | 2026-05-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.6K | ⑂ 75 |
| 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 devtools-x if
- You want the devtools-x feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and devtools-x 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 devtools-x
DevTools X is a free, open source, offline first desktop collection of 41 developer utilities for macOS, Windows, and Linux, aimed at developers who want a single lightweight non Electron app instead of scattering small helpers across browser tabs.
read the full devtools-x overview →
More in Developer Tools
Related comparisons
More Frameworks & Platforms projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Frameworks & Platforms field.
Frequently asked questions
Is puppeteer or devtools-x more popular?
puppeteer has 95,669 GitHub stars and devtools-x has 1,537. puppeteer has the larger community by that measure.
Are puppeteer and devtools-x free?
Both are open source. puppeteer is licensed under Apache-2.0 and devtools-x under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between puppeteer and devtools-x?
puppeteer is written in TypeScript and devtools-x 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 devtools-x?
Choose puppeteer if you want the larger community (95,669 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose devtools-x if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.