head to head · open source
refined-github vs duckduckgo-privacy-extension
refined-github has 32,187 GitHub stars, 1,914 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped yesterday. duckduckgo-privacy-extension has 1,495 stars, 333 forks, 198 open issues and last shipped yesterday. refined-github leads on adoption by 2,053% (32,187 vs 1,495 stars). refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT; duckduckgo-privacy-extension is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. refined-github has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, duckduckgo-privacy-extension 22%. refined-github was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (browser-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 | duckduckgo-privacy-extension | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 333 |
| 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 duckduckgo-privacy-extension if
- You want the duckduckgo-privacy-extension feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and duckduckgo-privacy-extension 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 duckduckgo-privacy-extension
DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials is a free and open source browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Opera that applies DuckDuckGo's web tracking protections inside the browser, and it is aimed at everyday users who want privacy protection without changing browsers, as well as developers who want to read and audit the code under the Apache 2.0 licence.
read the full duckduckgo-privacy-extension overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is refined-github or duckduckgo-privacy-extension more popular?
refined-github has 32,187 GitHub stars and duckduckgo-privacy-extension has 1,495. refined-github has the larger community by that measure.
Are refined-github and duckduckgo-privacy-extension free?
Both are open source. refined-github is licensed under MIT and duckduckgo-privacy-extension under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between refined-github and duckduckgo-privacy-extension?
refined-github is written in TypeScript and duckduckgo-privacy-extension in JavaScript. 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 duckduckgo-privacy-extension?
Choose refined-github if you want the larger community (32,187 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose duckduckgo-privacy-extension if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.