head to head · open source
react vs netbeans
react has 252,095 GitHub stars, 51,624 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. netbeans has 3,145 stars, 944 forks, 1,081 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. react leads on adoption by 7,916% (252,095 vs 3,145 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; netbeans is written in Java under Apache-2.0. react has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, netbeans 30%. netbeans 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 | netbeans | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 252K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-10-31 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 52K | ⑂ 944 |
| 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 netbeans if
- You want the netbeans feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and netbeans 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 netbeans
Apache NetBeans Apache NetBeans is an open source development environment, tooling platform, and application framework. Build status GitHub actions Apache Jenkins: Linux: Windows: License Status ( Apache Rat and ant verify libs and licenses ) Requirements Git Ant JDK 21 or above (to build and run NetBeans) Notes: NetBeans license violation checks are managed via the rat exclusions.txt file. Set JAVA HOME and ANT HOME appropriately or leave them undefined. Building NetBeans Build the default release config (See the cluster.config property.) Build the basic project (mainly Java features): Build the full project…
read the full netbeans overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is react or netbeans more popular?
react has 252,095 GitHub stars and netbeans has 3,145. react has the larger community by that measure.
Are react and netbeans free?
Both are open source. react is licensed under MIT and netbeans under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between react and netbeans?
react is written in JavaScript and netbeans in Java. 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 netbeans?
Choose react if you want the larger community (252,095 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose netbeans if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.