head to head · open source
SWE-agent vs Forgecode
SWE-agent has 20,717 GitHub stars, 2,263 forks, 102 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Forgecode has 7,633 stars, 1,456 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. SWE-agent leads on adoption by 171% (20,717 vs 7,633 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 | ★ 21K | ★ 7.6K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.3K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SWE-agent if
- You weight community size — 21K 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
[!warning] Most of our current development effort is on mini swe agent, which has superseded SWE agent. It matches the performance performance of SWE agent, while being much simpler. See the FAQ for more details about the differences. Our general recommendation is to use mini SWE agent instead of SWE agent going forward. SWE agent enables your language model of choice (e.g. GPT 4o or Claude Sonnet 4) to autonomously use tools to fix issues in real GitHub repositories, find cybersecurity vulnerabilities, or perform any custom task. ✅ State of the art on SWE bench among open source projects ✅ Free flowing &…
read the full SWE-agent overview →
About Forgecode
⚒️ Forge: AI Enhanced Terminal Development Environment A comprehensive coding agent that integrates AI capabilities with your development environment curl fsSL sh Table of Contents Quickstart Usage Examples Why Forge? How Forge Works: Three Modes Interactive Mode (TUI) One Shot CLI Mode ZSH Plugin Mode ( : prefix) ZSH Plugin: The : Prefix System Agents Sending Prompts Attaching Files Conversation Management Git Integration Shell Command Tools Session & Configuration Skills Customizing Agent Behavior Semantic Search (Workspace) Quick Reference: All : Commands Command Line Options Advanced Configuration Provider…
read the full Forgecode overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SWE-agent or Forgecode more popular?
SWE-agent has 20,717 GitHub stars and Forgecode has 7,633. 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 (20,717 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Forgecode if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.