head to head · open source
jsdoc vs wandao
jsdoc has 15,465 GitHub stars, 1,492 forks, 459 open issues and last shipped yesterday. wandao has 1,160 stars, 136 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped yesterday. jsdoc leads on adoption by 1,233% (15,465 vs 1,160 stars). jsdoc is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; wandao is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. jsdoc has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, wandao 12%. jsdoc was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| jsdoc | wandao | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 136 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick jsdoc if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick wandao if
- You want the wandao feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and wandao fits your workflow better
About jsdoc
JSDoc is an API documentation generator for JavaScript that reads annotations in source comments and produces a browsable documentation site, aimed at JavaScript developers and library maintainers who need reference documentation to stay in sync with code.
read the full jsdoc overview →
About wandao
Wandao (万能导) is a multi platform knowledge base Markdown import and export tool that turns content you have permission to access into local Markdown and pushes local Markdown back into supported platforms, built for people who need to back up, migrate, or study documentation without manual copying and pasting.
read the full wandao overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is jsdoc or wandao more popular?
jsdoc has 15,465 GitHub stars and wandao has 1,160. jsdoc has the larger community by that measure.
Are jsdoc and wandao free?
Both are open source. jsdoc is licensed under Apache-2.0 and wandao under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between jsdoc and wandao?
jsdoc is written in JavaScript and wandao in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, jsdoc or wandao?
Choose jsdoc if you want the larger community (15,465 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose wandao if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.