head to head · open source
refined-github vs search-by-image
refined-github has 32,432 GitHub stars, 1,935 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. search-by-image has 3,808 stars, 321 forks, 77 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. refined-github leads on adoption by 752% (32,432 vs 3,808 stars). refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT; search-by-image is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. refined-github has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, search-by-image 8%. refined-github was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (browser-extension, chrome-extension, safari-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 | search-by-image | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-06-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 321 |
| 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 search-by-image if
- You want the search-by-image feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and search-by-image 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 search-by-image
Search by Image Sponsors Lenso.ai Explore billions of images from all around the web. Search for places, people, duplicates, and more. Supporting the Project The continued development of Search by Image is made possible thanks to the support of awesome backers. If you'd like to join them, please consider contributing with Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin. Description Search by Image is a browser extension that makes effortless reverse image searches possible, and comes with support for more than 30 search engines. The extension helps journalists and researchers verify the authenticity of images, and assists in the…
read the full search-by-image overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is refined-github or search-by-image more popular?
refined-github has 32,432 GitHub stars and search-by-image has 3,808. refined-github has the larger community by that measure.
Are refined-github and search-by-image free?
Both are open source. refined-github is licensed under MIT and search-by-image under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between refined-github and search-by-image?
refined-github is written in TypeScript and search-by-image 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 search-by-image?
Choose refined-github if you want the larger community (32,432 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose search-by-image if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.