head to head · open source
refined-github vs prism-download-manager
refined-github has 32,427 GitHub stars, 1,934 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped yesterday. prism-download-manager has 711 stars, 54 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. refined-github leads on adoption by 4,461% (32,427 vs 711 stars). refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT; prism-download-manager is written in Rust under MIT. refined-github has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, prism-download-manager 8%. 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 | prism-download-manager | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 711 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 54 |
| 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 prism-download-manager if
- You want the prism-download-manager feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and prism-download-manager 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 prism-download-manager
Prism One beam. Many rays. The fast, beautiful, open source download manager for Windows, macOS and Linux. ⬇ Download · Website · ▶ Watch the film · Install guide · Browser extension · ☕ Buy me a beam Prism splits every download into up to 32 parallel connections , keeps them all busy until the last byte, and survives crashes, sleep and pulled cables. Click a link in your browser and Prism takes over; hover a video and grab it as MP4 in the quality you want — or just the MP3 . All of it in a calm, liquid glass interface with dark and light themes. Free, open source, no ads, no accounts, no telemetry. ✨ Why Prism…
read the full prism-download-manager overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is refined-github or prism-download-manager more popular?
refined-github has 32,427 GitHub stars and prism-download-manager has 711. refined-github has the larger community by that measure.
Are refined-github and prism-download-manager free?
Both are open source. refined-github is licensed under MIT and prism-download-manager under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between refined-github and prism-download-manager?
refined-github is written in TypeScript and prism-download-manager in Rust. 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 prism-download-manager?
Choose refined-github if you want the larger community (32,427 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose prism-download-manager if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.