head to head · open source
RustDesk vs BleachBit
RustDesk has 127,925 GitHub stars, 20,252 forks, 147 open issues and last shipped yesterday. BleachBit has 7,349 stars, 486 forks, 313 open issues and last shipped yesterday. RustDesk leads on adoption by 1,641% (127,925 vs 7,349 stars). RustDesk is written in Rust under AGPL-3.0; BleachBit is written in Python under GPL-3.0. RustDesk has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, BleachBit 7%. BleachBit was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (linux), 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
| RustDesk | BleachBit | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 128K | ★ 7.3K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Rust | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 20K | ⑂ 486 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick RustDesk if
- You weight community size — 128K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick BleachBit if
- You want the BleachBit feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and BleachBit fits your workflow better
About RustDesk
Build • Docker • Structure • Screenshots [ Українська ] [ česky ] [ 中文 ] [ Magyar ] [ Español ] [ فارسی ] [ Français ] [ Deutsch ] [ Polski ] [ Indonesian ] [ Suomi ] [ മലയാളം ] [ 日本語 ] [ Nederlands ] [ Italiano ] [ Русский ] [ Português (Brasil) ] [ Esperanto ] [ 한국어 ] [ العربي ] [ Tiếng Việt ] [ Dansk ] [ Ελληνικά ] [ Türkçe ] [ Norsk ] [ Română ] We need your help to translate this README, RustDesk UI and RustDesk Doc to your native language [!Caution] Misuse Disclaimer: The developers of RustDesk do not condone or support any unethical or illegal use of this software. Misuse, such as unauthorized access…
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About BleachBit
BleachBit BleachBit cleans files to free disk space and to maintain privacy. Running from source To run BleachBit without installation, first install the system dependencies, then build the translations and run it: Many Linux systems have the basic dependencies: you may skip installation, but in case of any issues, please check for missing dependencies. Then, review the preferences. Then, select some options, and click Preview. Review the files, toggle options accordingly, and click Delete. For information regarding the command line interface, run: Read more about running from source. Links BleachBit home page…
read the full BleachBit overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is RustDesk or BleachBit more popular?
RustDesk has 127,925 GitHub stars and BleachBit has 7,349. RustDesk has the larger community by that measure.
Are RustDesk and BleachBit free?
Both are open source. RustDesk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and BleachBit under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between RustDesk and BleachBit?
RustDesk is written in Rust and BleachBit in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, RustDesk or BleachBit?
Choose RustDesk if you want the larger community (127,925 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose BleachBit if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.