head to head · open source
uBlock vs Flow
uBlock has 69,033 GitHub stars, 4,427 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Flow has 1,092 stars, 61 forks, 59 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. uBlock leads on adoption by 6,222% (69,033 vs 1,092 stars). uBlock is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0; Flow is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. uBlock has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Flow 6%. uBlock was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (chromium, javascript), 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
| uBlock | Flow | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 69K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-05-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 61 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick uBlock if
- You weight community size — 69K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Flow if
- You want the Flow feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Flow fits your workflow better
About uBlock
[![Badge Commits]][Commit Rate] [![Badge Issues]][Issues] [![Badge Localization]][Crowdin] [![Badge License]][License] [![Badge NPM]][NPM] [![Badge Mozilla]][Mozilla] ![Badge Chrome] [![Badge Edge]][Edge] uBlock Origin (uBO) GitHub Releases Stable and development versions on Firefox, Chromium MV2, and Thunderbird. Must be placed manually into web browsers; the Chromium and Thunderbird versions usually won't auto update. Related: uBlock Origin Lite uBlock Origin (uBO) is a CPU and memory efficient [wide spectrum content blocker][Blocking] for Chromium and Firefox. It blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, popups…
read the full uBlock overview →
About Flow
Flow Browser A modern, tabbed web browser with Chrome extension support—built on Electron. Overview Flow Browser is a lightweight, feature rich web browser that combines the power of Chromium with a clean, modern interface. Built on Electron, it offers full support for Chrome extensions, making it a versatile alternative to mainstream browsers. Install Choose the file you need and download from GitHub Releases. Screenshots Features Profiles : Multiple profiles support, allowing you to use different settings and extensions for each profile. Spaces : Multiple spaces support, allowing you to organize your tabs into…
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Frequently asked questions
Is uBlock or Flow more popular?
uBlock has 69,033 GitHub stars and Flow has 1,092. uBlock has the larger community by that measure.
Are uBlock and Flow free?
Both are open source. uBlock is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Flow under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between uBlock and Flow?
uBlock is written in JavaScript and Flow 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, uBlock or Flow?
Choose uBlock if you want the larger community (69,033 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Flow if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.