head to head · open source
uBlock vs refined-github
uBlock has 69,033 GitHub stars, 4,427 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped yesterday. refined-github has 32,427 stars, 1,934 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped yesterday. uBlock leads on adoption by 113% (69,033 vs 32,427 stars). uBlock is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0; refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT. uBlock has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, refined-github 6%. uBlock 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
| uBlock | refined-github | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 69K | ★ 32K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 1.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick uBlock if
- You weight community size — 69K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick refined-github if
- You want the refined-github feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and refined-github fits your workflow better
About uBlock
[![Badge Commits]][Commit Rate] [![Badge Issues]][Issues] [![Badge Localization]][Crowdin] [![Badge License]][License] [![Badge NPM]][NPM] [![Badge Mozilla]][Mozilla] ![Badge Chrome] [![Badge Edge]][Edge] uBlock Origin (uBO) GitHub Releases Stable and development versions on Firefox, Chromium MV2, and Thunderbird. Must be placed manually into web browsers; the Chromium and Thunderbird versions usually won't auto update. Related: uBlock Origin Lite uBlock Origin (uBO) is a CPU and memory efficient [wide spectrum content blocker][Blocking] for Chromium and Firefox. It blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, popups…
read the full uBlock overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is uBlock or refined-github more popular?
uBlock has 69,033 GitHub stars and refined-github has 32,427. uBlock has the larger community by that measure.
Are uBlock and refined-github free?
Both are open source. uBlock is licensed under GPL-3.0 and refined-github under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between uBlock and refined-github?
uBlock is written in JavaScript and refined-github in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, uBlock or refined-github?
Choose uBlock if you want the larger community (69,033 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose refined-github if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.