head to head · open source
rtk vs Dyad
rtk has 85,327 GitHub stars, 5,462 forks, 1,642 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Dyad has 22,166 stars, 2,787 forks, 359 open issues and last shipped yesterday. rtk leads on adoption by 285% (85,327 vs 22,166 stars). rtk is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; Dyad is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. rtk has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Dyad 13%. Dyad was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (anthropic, llm), 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
| rtk | Dyad | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 85K | ★ 22K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Rust | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 2.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick rtk if
- You weight community size — 85K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Dyad if
- You want the Dyad feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Dyad fits your workflow better
About rtk
High performance CLI proxy that cuts up to 90% of the bash output your agent reads Website • Install • Troubleshooting • Architecture • Discord English • Francais • 中文 • 日本語 • 한국어 • Espanol • Português rtk filters and compresses command outputs before they reach your LLM context. Single Rust binary, 100+ supported commands, Full explanation: How RTK Savings Work Installation Homebrew (recommended) winget (Windows) Easiest way to install on Windows — one command, no PATH setup needed: Quick Install (Linux/macOS) Installs to /.local/bin . Add to PATH if needed…
About Dyad
Dyad Dyad is a local, open source AI app builder. It's fast, private, and fully under your control — like Lovable, v0, or Bolt, but running right on your machine. More info at: 🚀 Features ⚡️ Local : Fast, private and no lock in. 🛠 Bring your own keys : Use your own AI API keys — no vendor lock in. 🖥️ Cross platform : Easy to run on Mac or Windows. 📦 Download No sign up required. Just download and go. 👉 Download for your platform 🤝 Community Join our growing community of AI app builders on Reddit : r/dyadbuilders share your projects and get help from the community! 🛠️ Contributing Dyad is open source (see…
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Frequently asked questions
Is rtk or Dyad more popular?
rtk has 85,327 GitHub stars and Dyad has 22,166. rtk has the larger community by that measure.
Are rtk and Dyad free?
Both are open source. rtk is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Dyad has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between rtk and Dyad?
rtk is written in Rust and Dyad 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, rtk or Dyad?
Choose rtk if you want the larger community (85,327 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Dyad if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.