head to head · open source
rtk vs T3 Code
rtk has 85,252 GitHub stars, 5,454 forks, 1,642 open issues and last shipped yesterday. T3 Code has 38,528 stars, 8,942 forks, 1,628 open issues and last shipped yesterday. rtk leads on adoption by 121% (85,252 vs 38,528 stars). rtk is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; T3 Code is written in TypeScript under MIT. rtk has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, T3 Code 23%. T3 Code was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| rtk | T3 Code | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 85K | ★ 39K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Rust | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 8.9K |
| 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 T3 Code if
- You want the T3 Code feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and T3 Code 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 T3 Code
T3 Code T3 Code is an "agent harness control surface". It enables control of the agents on your machine with a best in class mobile app (iOS, Android), web app and Electron based desktop app. Works with your subscriptions on Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok Build, OpenCode, and Google Antigravity. If they're set up on your computer, T3 Code can control them. "Wait, what are you selling me?" Nothing. We built T3 Code because we wanted the best possible development experience with agents. We were inspired by existing solutions like the Codex desktop app, Conductor, Claude Desktop and Cursor Glass, but none met our…
read the full T3 Code overview →
More in Developer Tools
Related comparisons
More AI Assisted Coding projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Assisted Coding field.
Frequently asked questions
Is rtk or T3 Code more popular?
rtk has 85,252 GitHub stars and T3 Code has 38,528. rtk has the larger community by that measure.
Are rtk and T3 Code free?
Both are open source. rtk is licensed under Apache-2.0 and T3 Code under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rtk and T3 Code?
rtk is written in Rust and T3 Code 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 T3 Code?
Choose rtk if you want the larger community (85,252 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose T3 Code if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.