head to head · open source
react vs Palform
react has 250,566 GitHub stars, 51,372 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Palform has 45 stars, 2 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. react leads on adoption by 556,713% (250,566 vs 45 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; Palform is written in Rust under AGPL-3.0. react has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, Palform 4%. 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 | Palform | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 251K | ★ 45 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 51K | ⑂ 2 |
| 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 Palform if
- You want the Palform feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Palform 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 Palform
Palform is an open source form builder built around end to end encryption, released under the AGPL 3.0 license. It is written primarily in Rust and JavaScript, and it lives in the Rust ecosystem: the backend uses the Rocket web framework with SeaORM, while encryption and shared logic are compiled to WebAssembly so that the same code runs in the browser and on the server. The entire codebase is open source, including the marketing pages, and this repository is stated to contain everything needed to operate the service. A free hosted instance runs at palform.app on European hosted servers.
read the full Palform overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is react or Palform more popular?
react has 250,566 GitHub stars and Palform has 45. react has the larger community by that measure.
Are react and Palform free?
Both are open source. react is licensed under MIT and Palform under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between react and Palform?
react is written in JavaScript and Palform in Rust. 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 Palform?
Choose react if you want the larger community (250,566 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Palform if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.