head to head · open source
react vs Hercules
react has 252,095 GitHub stars, 51,624 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Hercules has 1,210 stars, 202 forks, 39 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. react leads on adoption by 20,734% (252,095 vs 1,210 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; Hercules is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. react has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, Hercules 17%. 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 | ★ 252K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-10-31 | 2026-10-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 52K | ⑂ 202 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick react if
- You weight community size — 252K 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 · React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. Declarative: React makes it painless to create interactive UIs. Design simple views for each state in your application, and React will efficiently update and render just the right components when your data changes. Declarative views make your code more predictable, simpler to understand, and easier to debug. Component Based: Build encapsulated components that manage their own state, then compose them to make complex UIs. Since component logic is written in JavaScript instead of templates, you can easily pass rich data through your app and…
read the full react overview →
About Hercules
💪 Hercules Testing modern web applications can be difficult, with frequent changes and complex features making it hard to keep up. That's where Hercules comes in. Hercules is the world's first open source testing agent, built to handle the toughest testing tasks so you don't have to. It turns simple, easy to write Gherkin steps into fully automated end to end tests—no coding skills needed. Whether you're working with tricky enterprise platforms or running tests in your CI/CD pipeline, Hercules adapts to your needs and takes care of the details. With Hercules, testing becomes simple, reliable, and efficient…
read the full Hercules overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is react or Hercules more popular?
react has 252,095 GitHub stars and Hercules has 1,210. 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 (252,095 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Hercules if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.