head to head · open source
refined-github vs LanguageTool
refined-github has 32,177 GitHub stars, 1,910 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LanguageTool has 15,042 stars, 1,581 forks, 2,148 open issues and last shipped yesterday. refined-github leads on adoption by 114% (32,177 vs 15,042 stars). refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT; LanguageTool is written in Java under LGPL-2.1. refined-github has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, LanguageTool 11%. LanguageTool 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
| refined-github | LanguageTool | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 15K |
| License | MIT | LGPL-2.1 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 1.6K |
| 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 LanguageTool if
- You want the LanguageTool feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-2.1 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and LanguageTool 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 LanguageTool
LanguageTool is open source proofreading software for English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, and more than 20 other languages. Its tagline describes it as an AI powered grammar checker for 30+ languages, while the repository description calls it a style and grammar checker for 25+ languages. The project lives in the natural language processing and productivity ecosystem, where it helps writers, editors, and applications detect errors that a simple spell checker cannot find.
read the full LanguageTool overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is refined-github or LanguageTool more popular?
refined-github has 32,177 GitHub stars and LanguageTool has 15,042. refined-github has the larger community by that measure.
Are refined-github and LanguageTool free?
Both are open source. refined-github is licensed under MIT and LanguageTool under LGPL-2.1. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between refined-github and LanguageTool?
refined-github is written in TypeScript and LanguageTool in Java. 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 LanguageTool?
Choose refined-github if you want the larger community (32,177 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose LanguageTool if its feature set, stack or LGPL-2.1 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.