head to head · open source
uBlock vs GhostText
uBlock has 69,033 GitHub stars, 4,427 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped yesterday. GhostText has 3,649 stars, 135 forks, 40 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. uBlock leads on adoption by 1,792% (69,033 vs 3,649 stars). uBlock is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0; GhostText is written in JavaScript under MIT. uBlock has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, GhostText 4%. uBlock was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (browser-extension), 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| uBlock | GhostText | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 69K | ★ 3.6K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-05-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 135 |
| 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 GhostText if
- You want the GhostText feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and GhostText 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 GhostText
Use your text editor to write in your browser. Everything you type in the editor will be instantly updated in the browser (and vice versa). Visit the ghosttext.fregante.com for more details and troubleshooting. If you love GhostText, consider sponsoring or hiring the maintainer @fregante Installation 1. Install your browser extension: [link chrome]: 'Version published on Chrome Web Store' [link firefox]: 'Version published on Mozilla Add ons' [link safari]: 'Version published on the Mac App Store' [ ][link chrome] [ ][link chrome] also compatible with [ ][link chrome] [ ][link chrome] [ ][link firefox] [ ][link…
read the full GhostText overview →
More in Productivity & Utilities
Related comparisons
More Browsers & Extensions projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Browsers & Extensions field.
Frequently asked questions
Is uBlock or GhostText more popular?
uBlock has 69,033 GitHub stars and GhostText has 3,649. uBlock has the larger community by that measure.
Are uBlock and GhostText free?
Both are open source. uBlock is licensed under GPL-3.0 and GhostText under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between uBlock and GhostText?
uBlock is written in JavaScript and GhostText in JavaScript. 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 GhostText?
Choose uBlock if you want the larger community (69,033 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose GhostText if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.