head to head · open source
substance vs Tangent
substance has 2,737 GitHub stars, 121 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 7 months ago. Tangent has 584 stars, 41 forks, 112 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. substance leads on adoption by 369% (2,737 vs 584 stars). substance is written in JavaScript under MIT; Tangent is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. substance has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, Tangent 7%. Tangent was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (text-editor), 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
| substance | Tangent | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 2.7K | ★ 584 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-04-02 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 121 | ⑂ 41 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick substance if
- You weight community size — 2.7K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Tangent if
- You want the Tangent feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Tangent fits your workflow better
About substance
Substance.js Substance is a JavaScript library for web based content editing. It provides building blocks for realizing custom text editors and web based publishing system. It is developed to power our online editing platform Substance. Development Install the dev dependencies. Run the dev server. Navigate to for the running the browser test suite. The test suite is rebuilt as you make changes to the source files. To run the test suite headless.
read the full substance overview →
About Tangent
Tangent This is the monorepo for the Tangent project. Tangent is a local note writing / personal knowledge management tool. It was heavily inspired by Obsidian, and has drifted in its own direction. It uses [[Wiki Links]] and a slightly customized markdown syntax. Notes are fully styled as you write. Markdown syntax is hidden and revealed as needed. Other key features: An innovative, two dimensional connected map of your navigation and linking history. "Sliding Panel" UX inspired by Andy Matuschak's notes. Writing focus mode: highlight your current paragraph, line, or sentence. Customizable note views: view your…
read the full Tangent overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is substance or Tangent more popular?
substance has 2,737 GitHub stars and Tangent has 584. substance has the larger community by that measure.
Are substance and Tangent free?
Both are open source. substance is licensed under MIT and Tangent under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between substance and Tangent?
substance is written in JavaScript and Tangent 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, substance or Tangent?
Choose substance if you want the larger community (2,737 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Tangent if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.