head to head · open source
SWE-agent vs Forgecode
SWE-agent has 20,367 GitHub stars, 2,230 forks, 102 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. Forgecode has 7,637 stars, 1,467 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SWE-agent leads on adoption by 167% (20,367 vs 7,637 stars). SWE-agent is written in Python under MIT; Forgecode is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. SWE-agent has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Forgecode 19%. Forgecode 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
| SWE-agent | Forgecode | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 20K | ★ 7.6K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.2K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SWE-agent if
- You weight community size — 20K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- 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 SWE-agent
SWE agent is a Python, MIT licensed open source project in the AI assisted coding and agent ecosystem. It is an agent based model for developer tools that takes a GitHub issue and tries to automatically fix it using a chosen language model. The project is associated with NeurIPS 2024 and is maintained by researchers from Princeton University and Stanford University.
read the full SWE-agent overview →
About Forgecode
Forgecode is a terminal native AI coding agent written in Rust and built on ZSH that drives Claude, GPT, the O series, Grok, Deepseek, Gemini and more than 300 models through one command line interface, aimed at developers who want an AI pair programmer without leaving the shell.
read the full Forgecode overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SWE-agent or Forgecode more popular?
SWE-agent has 20,367 GitHub stars and Forgecode has 7,637. SWE-agent has the larger community by that measure.
Are SWE-agent and Forgecode free?
Both are open source. SWE-agent is licensed under MIT and Forgecode under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SWE-agent and Forgecode?
SWE-agent is written in Python 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, SWE-agent or Forgecode?
Choose SWE-agent if you want the larger community (20,367 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Forgecode if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.