head to head · open source
refined-github vs xdm
refined-github has 32,342 GitHub stars, 1,927 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped today. xdm has 8,025 stars, 1,196 forks, 865 open issues and last shipped yesterday. refined-github leads on adoption by 303% (32,342 vs 8,025 stars). refined-github is written in TypeScript under MIT; xdm is written in Kotlin under GPL-3.0. refined-github has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, xdm 15%. 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 | xdm | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 8.0K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 1.2K |
| 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 xdm if
- You want the xdm feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and xdm 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 xdm
Xtreme Download Manager Fast, resumable downloads and one click video grabbing — right from your browser. Homepage · Download · Features · Browser integration · Build · Translations · Code signing policy Xtreme Download Manager (XDM) speeds up downloads by splitting them across multiple connections, saves videos from streaming sites, and picks up broken downloads exactly where they left off. A companion browser extension hands downloads and detected videos straight to the app, so you never have to copy a link by hand. Wondering why you'd still want a download manager on a fast connection? Read Why use a download…
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Frequently asked questions
Is refined-github or xdm more popular?
refined-github has 32,342 GitHub stars and xdm has 8,025. refined-github has the larger community by that measure.
Are refined-github and xdm free?
Both are open source. refined-github is licensed under MIT and xdm under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between refined-github and xdm?
refined-github is written in TypeScript and xdm in Kotlin. 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 xdm?
Choose refined-github if you want the larger community (32,342 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose xdm if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.