head to head · open source
Shelf vs kept
Shelf has 3,051 GitHub stars, 385 forks, 181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. kept has 512 stars, 35 forks, 30 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Shelf leads on adoption by 496% (3,051 vs 512 stars). Shelf is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; kept is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Shelf has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, kept 7%. kept 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.
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Side by side
| Shelf | kept | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.1K | ★ 512 |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-06 | 2026-11-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 385 | ⑂ 35 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Shelf if
- You weight community size — 3.1K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick kept if
- You want the kept feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and kept fits your workflow better
About Shelf
Open source asset management infrastructure for everyone. Website · Documentation · Discord · Twitter Shelf is a platform for tracking physical assets — equipment, devices, tools, vehicles, props, inventory. It's built for teams that need to know what they have, where it is, and who's using it. Organizations use Shelf to manage thousands of assets across locations with role based access for their teams. Features QR asset tags — Generate and print QR codes. Scan with any phone to view, check out, or report an asset. Bookings and reservations — Schedule equipment, prevent double bookings, set…
read the full Shelf overview →
About kept
A self hosted, open source inventory of everything you own and where it is. Homes, garages and storage units; the rooms, shelves and boxes inside them; the things inside those, with receipts, manuals, warranties and history. Self hosted, on your own server or homelab. Nothing leaves it unless you turn it on: no telemetry, the update check off by default, the AI provider yours to choose. Try it Nothing to install, nothing saved. Try Kept: the whole app, with a sample household. Try the map: the 3D map, with a sample home. Host it: Docker Compose or Kubernetes. A look around List: names first, each with its type…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Shelf or kept more popular?
Shelf has 3,051 GitHub stars and kept has 512. Shelf has the larger community by that measure.
Are Shelf and kept free?
Both are open source. Shelf has no licence declared in this registry, and kept is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Shelf and kept?
Shelf is written in TypeScript and kept 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, Shelf or kept?
Choose Shelf if you want the larger community (3,051 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose kept if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.