head to head · open source
refined-github vs UserAgent-Switcher
refined-github has 32,187 GitHub stars, 1,914 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped yesterday. UserAgent-Switcher has 1,516 stars, 189 forks, 150 open issues and last shipped 19 days ago. refined-github leads on adoption by 2,023% (32,187 vs 1,516 stars). refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT; UserAgent-Switcher is written in JavaScript under MPL-2.0. refined-github has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, UserAgent-Switcher 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 | UserAgent-Switcher | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 189 |
| 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 UserAgent-Switcher if
- You want the UserAgent-Switcher feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and UserAgent-Switcher 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 UserAgent-Switcher
UserAgent Switcher is a highly configurable, MPL 2.0 licensed browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera that spoofs the User Agent string in HTTP request headers and in the JavaScript navigator objects that pages read, so anyone testing, researching, or deliberately reshaping their browser identity gets one consistent identity across every detection path.
read the full UserAgent-Switcher overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is refined-github or UserAgent-Switcher more popular?
refined-github has 32,187 GitHub stars and UserAgent-Switcher has 1,516. refined-github has the larger community by that measure.
Are refined-github and UserAgent-Switcher free?
Both are open source. refined-github is licensed under MIT and UserAgent-Switcher under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between refined-github and UserAgent-Switcher?
refined-github is written in TypeScript and UserAgent-Switcher 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 UserAgent-Switcher?
Choose refined-github if you want the larger community (32,187 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose UserAgent-Switcher if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.