head to head · open source
Redash vs Ghostwriter
Redash has 28,800 GitHub stars, 4,624 forks, 805 open issues and last shipped 15 days ago. Ghostwriter has 1,916 stars, 257 forks, 38 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Redash leads on adoption by 1,403% (28,800 vs 1,916 stars). Redash is written in Python under BSD-2-Clause; Ghostwriter is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. Redash has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, Ghostwriter 13%. Ghostwriter 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
| Redash | Ghostwriter | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 29K | ★ 1.9K |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-03 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.6K | ⑂ 257 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Redash if
- You weight community size — 29K stars and counting
- You want the BSD-2-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Ghostwriter if
- You want the Ghostwriter feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Ghostwriter fits your workflow better
About Redash
Redash is an open source business intelligence and data analytics platform built with Python and JavaScript. It enables users to connect to diverse data sources, write and execute SQL/NoSQL queries, build visualizations, and share interactive dashboards—all through a browser based interface.
read the full Redash overview →
About Ghostwriter
Ghostwriter is open source Python project management and reporting engine for offensive security work. It lives in information security, penetration testing, red team ecosystem. Category: Data & Analytics, Business Intelligence & Reporting. Stack: Python 3.13, Django 5.2. Topics: informationsecurity, penetration testing, red team, reporting.
read the full Ghostwriter overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Redash or Ghostwriter more popular?
Redash has 28,800 GitHub stars and Ghostwriter has 1,916. Redash has the larger community by that measure.
Are Redash and Ghostwriter free?
Both are open source. Redash is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Ghostwriter under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Redash and Ghostwriter?
Redash is written in Python and Ghostwriter 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, Redash or Ghostwriter?
Choose Redash if you want the larger community (28,800 stars) or its BSD-2-Clause licence terms. Choose Ghostwriter if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.