head to head · open source
puppeteer vs Directus
puppeteer has 95,791 GitHub stars, 9,600 forks, 259 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Directus has 38,799 stars, 4,991 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped yesterday. puppeteer leads on adoption by 147% (95,791 vs 38,799 stars). puppeteer is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. puppeteer has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Directus 13%. 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 | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 96K | ★ 39K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.6K | ⑂ 5.0K |
| 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 Directus if
- You want the Directus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Directus fits your workflow better
About puppeteer
Puppeteer Puppeteer is a JavaScript library which provides a high level API to control Chrome or Firefox over the DevTools Protocol or WebDriver BiDi. Puppeteer runs in the headless (no visible UI) by default Get started API FAQ Contributing Troubleshooting Installation :::note Modern package managers (including npm (see the RFC), pnpm, Yarn, Bun, and Deno) block dependency install scripts by default. If the install script is blocked, Puppeteer will not download the browser during installation, leading to runtime errors. You can manually download the required browsers after installation by running…
read the full puppeteer overview →
About Directus
The Collaborative Backend for Builders & AI Connect any SQL database and get instant REST and GraphQL APIs, a visual management Studio, and a native MCP server for AI agents. 45M+ downloads · 500K+ projects deployed [!NOTE] Free for most organizations. Under $5M annual revenue and 50 employees? Directus is completely free. Apply for an Open Innovation Grant license and get a key in minutes. Learn more about our license. 🐇 Introduction Directus wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API layer and a visual Studio. Engineers control schema and access. Non technical teammates and AI agents work directly…
read the full Directus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is puppeteer or Directus more popular?
puppeteer has 95,791 GitHub stars and Directus has 38,799. puppeteer has the larger community by that measure.
Are puppeteer and Directus free?
Both are open source. puppeteer is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Directus has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between puppeteer and Directus?
puppeteer is written in TypeScript and Directus 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 Directus?
Choose puppeteer if you want the larger community (95,791 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Directus if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.