head to head · open source
react vs Hercules
react has 250,566 GitHub stars, 51,372 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Hercules has 1,162 stars, 190 forks, 39 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. react leads on adoption by 21,463% (250,566 vs 1,162 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; Hercules is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. react has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, Hercules 16%. react 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
| react | Hercules | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 251K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 51K | ⑂ 190 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick react if
- You weight community size — 251K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Hercules if
- You want the Hercules feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Hercules fits your workflow better
About react
React is a JavaScript library under the MIT licence for building user interfaces, using a declarative, component based model that renders both on the web and, through React Native, on mobile.
read the full react overview →
About Hercules
Hercules is an open source, AGPL 3.0 testing agent that turns plain Gherkin feature files into automated end to end UI, API, security, accessibility and visual tests for QA engineers, developers and platform teams who need browser level coverage without writing or maintaining test code.
read the full Hercules overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is react or Hercules more popular?
react has 250,566 GitHub stars and Hercules has 1,162. react has the larger community by that measure.
Are react and Hercules free?
Both are open source. react is licensed under MIT and Hercules under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between react and Hercules?
react is written in JavaScript and Hercules in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, react or Hercules?
Choose react if you want the larger community (250,566 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Hercules if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.