head to head · open source
rtk vs Forgecode
rtk has 85,327 GitHub stars, 5,462 forks, 1,642 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Forgecode has 7,637 stars, 1,456 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. rtk leads on adoption by 1,017% (85,327 vs 7,637 stars). rtk is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; Forgecode is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. rtk has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Forgecode 19%. rtk was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | Forgecode | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 85K | ★ 7.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Rust | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| 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 Forgecode if
- You want the Forgecode feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Forgecode 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 Forgecode
⚒️ Forge: AI Enhanced Terminal Development Environment A comprehensive coding agent that integrates AI capabilities with your development environment curl fsSL sh Table of Contents Quickstart Usage Examples Why Forge? How Forge Works: Three Modes Interactive Mode (TUI) One Shot CLI Mode ZSH Plugin Mode ( : prefix) ZSH Plugin: The : Prefix System Agents Sending Prompts Attaching Files Conversation Management Git Integration Shell Command Tools Session & Configuration Skills Customizing Agent Behavior Semantic Search (Workspace) Quick Reference: All : Commands Command Line Options Advanced Configuration Provider…
read the full Forgecode overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rtk or Forgecode more popular?
rtk has 85,327 GitHub stars and Forgecode has 7,637. rtk has the larger community by that measure.
Are rtk and Forgecode free?
Both are open source. rtk is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Forgecode under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rtk and Forgecode?
rtk is written in Rust and Forgecode in Rust. 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 Forgecode?
Choose rtk if you want the larger community (85,327 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Forgecode if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.