head to head · open source
webtorrent vs quasar
webtorrent has 31,397 GitHub stars, 2,902 forks, 83 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. quasar has 27,210 stars, 3,674 forks, 74 open issues and last shipped yesterday. webtorrent leads on adoption by 15% (31,397 vs 27,210 stars). webtorrent is written in JavaScript under MIT; quasar is written in JavaScript under MIT. webtorrent has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, quasar 14%. quasar was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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
| webtorrent | quasar | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 31K | ★ 27K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 3.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick webtorrent if
- You weight community size — 31K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick quasar if
- You want the quasar feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and quasar fits your workflow better
About webtorrent
WebTorrent is a streaming torrent client written entirely in JavaScript, distributed as a single npm package that runs both in node.js and in the browser. In node.js it behaves as an ordinary torrent client, using TCP and UDP to communicate with other clients. In the browser it uses WebRTC data channels for peer to peer transport, which means it works without browser plugins, extensions, or installations. The project lives in the JavaScript and node.js ecosystem, is licensed under MIT, and has been developed for roughly thirteen years.
read the full webtorrent overview →
About quasar
Quasar Framework is an MIT licensed Vue.js framework that builds responsive single page apps, server side rendered and statically generated sites, progressive web apps, browser extensions, hybrid mobile apps, and Electron desktop apps from a single codebase.
read the full quasar overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is webtorrent or quasar more popular?
webtorrent has 31,397 GitHub stars and quasar has 27,210. webtorrent has the larger community by that measure.
Are webtorrent and quasar free?
Both are open source. webtorrent is licensed under MIT and quasar under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between webtorrent and quasar?
webtorrent is written in JavaScript and quasar 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, webtorrent or quasar?
Choose webtorrent if you want the larger community (31,397 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose quasar if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.