head to head · open source
Puter vs Zen
Puter has 44,062 GitHub stars, 4,140 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen has 4,343 stars, 145 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Puter leads on adoption by 915% (44,062 vs 4,343 stars). Puter is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Zen is written in Go under MIT. Puter has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Zen 3%. Puter 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
| Puter | Zen | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 4.3K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.1K | ⑂ 145 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Puter if
- You weight community size — 44K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Zen if
- You want the Zen feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Zen fits your workflow better
About Puter
The Open Source Internet Computer! « LIVE DEMO » Puter.com · App Store · Developers · X Puter Puter is an advanced, open source, self hostable internet computer designed to be feature rich, fast, and highly extensible. For Users Puter's goal is to provide you with every app and feature you need to work, create, and play under one roof. From a simple Notepad and Voice Recorder to Spreadsheet and Camera, Puter wants to be the all in one solution for your digital life. For Developers Puter provides everything you need to build and publish web apps and games. From AI to Cloud Storage and Database to Serverless…
read the full Puter overview →
About Zen
Zen: Your Comprehensive Ad Blocker and Privacy Guard There is, simply, no way, to ignore privacy. Because a citizenry’s freedoms are interdependent, to surrender your own privacy is really to surrender everyone’s. Edward Snowden, Permanent Record Website • Mastodon • Bluesky • Discord • Documentation Zen is an open source system wide ad blocker and privacy guard for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It works by setting up a proxy that intercepts HTTP requests from all applications, and blocks those serving ads, tracking scripts that monitor your behavior, malware, and other unwanted content. By operating at the system…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Puter or Zen more popular?
Puter has 44,062 GitHub stars and Zen has 4,343. Puter has the larger community by that measure.
Are Puter and Zen free?
Both are open source. Puter is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Zen under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Puter and Zen?
Puter is written in TypeScript and Zen in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Puter or Zen?
Choose Puter if you want the larger community (44,062 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Zen if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.