head to head · open source
refined-github vs BetterViewer
refined-github has 32,321 GitHub stars, 1,929 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. BetterViewer has 551 stars, 29 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. refined-github leads on adoption by 5,766% (32,321 vs 551 stars). refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT; BetterViewer is written in TypeScript under MIT. refined-github has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, BetterViewer 5%. refined-github was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (browser-extension, chrome-extension), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| refined-github | BetterViewer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 551 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-16 | 2026-10-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 29 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick refined-github if
- You weight community size — 32K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick BetterViewer if
- You want the BetterViewer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and BetterViewer fits your workflow better
About refined-github
Refined GitHub is an MIT licensed browser extension written in TypeScript that simplifies the GitHub interface and adds useful features, built for developers and teams who spend their working day inside GitHub and want the small missing conveniences fixed without waiting for the platform itself to change.
read the full refined-github overview →
About BetterViewer
BetterViewer is an MIT licensed, TypeScript image viewer and editor that runs as a browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox based browsers and as a desktop application for Windows, Linux and macOS, aimed at anyone who wants more than the browser's built in image viewing mode.
read the full BetterViewer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is refined-github or BetterViewer more popular?
refined-github has 32,321 GitHub stars and BetterViewer has 551. refined-github has the larger community by that measure.
Are refined-github and BetterViewer free?
Both are open source. refined-github is licensed under MIT and BetterViewer under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between refined-github and BetterViewer?
refined-github is written in TypeScript and BetterViewer in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, refined-github or BetterViewer?
Choose refined-github if you want the larger community (32,321 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose BetterViewer if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.