head to head · open source
refined-github vs HackBrowserData
refined-github has 32,432 GitHub stars, 1,935 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. HackBrowserData has 14,672 stars, 1,810 forks, 33 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. refined-github leads on adoption by 121% (32,432 vs 14,672 stars). refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT; HackBrowserData is written in Go under MIT. refined-github has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, HackBrowserData 12%. 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 | HackBrowserData | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 15K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 1.8K |
| 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 HackBrowserData if
- You want the HackBrowserData feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and HackBrowserData fits your workflow better
About refined-github
Refined GitHub Browser extension that simplifies the GitHub interface and adds useful features We use GitHub a lot and notice many annoyances we'd like to fix. So here be dragons. Our hope is that GitHub will notice and implement some of these much needed improvements. So if you like any of these improvements, please open a discussion on GitHub feedback or contact GitHub support about doing it. GitHub Enterprise is also supported: How to enable it. The GITHUB and REFINED GITHUB trademarks are owned by GitHub, Inc. and used under license. Install [link chrome]: 'Version published on Chrome Web Store' [link…
read the full refined-github overview →
About HackBrowserData
HackBrowserData HackBrowserData is a command line tool for decrypting and exporting browser data (passwords, history, cookies, bookmarks, credit cards, download history, localStorage, sessionStorage and extensions) from the browser. It supports the most popular Chromium based browsers and Firefox on Windows, macOS and Linux, plus Safari on macOS. It can also decrypt data across machines and operating systems : export the master keys on the origin host, then decrypt a copy of the data offline on any other host — even for a browser that the analyst host's OS cannot run (see Cross host decryption). Disclaimer: This…
read the full HackBrowserData overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is refined-github or HackBrowserData more popular?
refined-github has 32,432 GitHub stars and HackBrowserData has 14,672. refined-github has the larger community by that measure.
Are refined-github and HackBrowserData free?
Both are open source. refined-github is licensed under MIT and HackBrowserData under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between refined-github and HackBrowserData?
refined-github is written in TypeScript and HackBrowserData in Go. 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 HackBrowserData?
Choose refined-github if you want the larger community (32,432 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose HackBrowserData if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.