--- title: "OpenHands vs orca" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/openhands-openhands-vs-stablyai-orca" tools: ["openhands-openhands", "stablyai-orca"] --- # OpenHands vs orca Neutral, constraint-first comparison with live GitHub stats. | | [OpenHands](/tools/openhands-openhands.md) | [orca](/tools/stablyai-orca.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Self-hosted developer control center for coding agents and automations. | The AI Orchestrator for 100x builders | | Stars | 79,943 | 13,788 | | Forks | 10,194 | 931 | | Open issues | 350 | 1,180 | | Language | Python | TypeScript | | Adopt for | OpenHands is an adaptable platform designed for developers looking to manage AI-driven coding assistants and automations across various backends, including local, remote, and cloud setups. It supports multiple AI models, | Orca is an AI Orchestrator designed to run a fleet of parallel agents across multiple workspaces, offering mobile access for monitoring and control in real-time. Ideal for teams looking to manage complex coding tasks and | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Other | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [OpenHands](/tools/openhands-openhands.md) | [orca](/tools/stablyai-orca.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Open issues (now) | 350 | 1.2k | | Security scan | 2 low (2 low) | Not scanned | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/openhands-openhands/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/stablyai-orca/trust.md) | **Typed relationship:** OpenHands _(alternative)_ orca Both Orca and OpenHands provide a developer control center for coding agents and automations. While they both serve similar purposes, their approaches to achieving that purpose differ. ## Decision facts: OpenHands - **Pricing:** unknown - The repository doesn't provide specific pricing details; refer to official resources for the most current information on cost structures. - **Requirements:** Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requirements might vary based on backend configuration. For local setups, Docker might be required.; Ensure compliance with infrastructure specifications recommended for running AI models efficiently. - **Adopt for:** OpenHands is an adaptable platform designed for developers looking to manage AI-driven coding assistants and automations across various backends, including local, remote, and cloud setups. It supports multiple AI models, ## Decision facts: orca - **Adopt for:** Orca is an AI Orchestrator designed to run a fleet of parallel agents across multiple workspaces, offering mobile access for monitoring and control in real-time. Ideal for teams looking to manage complex coding tasks and ## Choose when ### Choose OpenHands if… - OpenHands is primarily Python; orca is TypeScript. - License: OpenHands is Other, orca is MIT. - Pricing: The repository doesn't provide specific pricing details; refer to official resources for the most current information on cost structures.. - Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requirements might vary based on backend configuration. For local setups, Docker might be required.; Ensure compliance with infrastructure specifications recommended for running AI models efficiently.. - Both Orca and OpenHands provide a developer control center for coding agents and automations. While they both serve similar purposes, their approaches to achieving that purpose differ. - Tags unique to OpenHands: claude-ai, llm, artificial-intelligence, chatgpt. - OpenHands ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Use OpenHands if you seek a self-hosted solution that provides robust management of AI-driven coding assistants. ### Choose orca if… - orca is primarily TypeScript; OpenHands is Python. - License: orca is MIT, OpenHands is Other. - Both Orca and OpenHands provide a developer control center for coding agents and automations. While they both serve similar purposes, their approaches to achieving that purpose differ. - Tags unique to orca: cursor-agent, agent-ide, devtools, codex. - You need to orchestrate and monitor the execution of multiple AI coders or agents simultaneously. ## When NOT to use OpenHands - Avoid OpenHands if you prefer a fully managed service without self-hosting requirements or the complexity of managing multiple backends. - Do not use it if your primary need is limited to a single AI model and does not benefit from broad compatibility with other agents like Claude Code, Codex, or ACP-compatible agents. ## When NOT to use orca - If your project requirements do not include orchestrating multiple agents or benefiting from real-time remote monitoring capabilities. - When you do not need extensive workspace isolation between different worktree branches managed as separate AI coding agents. - Your needs are best served by a single-agent ADE without advanced orchestration features. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between OpenHands and orca? OpenHands: Self-hosted developer control center for coding agents and automations.. orca: The AI Orchestrator for 100x builders. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose OpenHands over orca? Choose OpenHands over orca when OpenHands is primarily Python; orca is TypeScript; License: OpenHands is Other, orca is MIT; Pricing: The repository doesn't provide specific pricing details; refer to official resources for the most current information on cost structures.; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requirements might vary based on backend configuration. For local setups, Docker might be required.; Ensure compliance with infrastructure specifications recommended for running AI models efficiently.; Both Orca and OpenHands provide a developer control center for coding agents and automations. While they both serve similar purposes, their approaches to achieving that purpose differ; Tags unique to OpenHands: claude-ai, llm, artificial-intelligence, chatgpt; OpenHands ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Use OpenHands if you seek a self-hosted solution that provides robust management of AI-driven coding assistants. ### When should I choose orca over OpenHands? Choose orca over OpenHands when orca is primarily TypeScript; OpenHands is Python; License: orca is MIT, OpenHands is Other; Both Orca and OpenHands provide a developer control center for coding agents and automations. While they both serve similar purposes, their approaches to achieving that purpose differ; Tags unique to orca: cursor-agent, agent-ide, devtools, codex; You need to orchestrate and monitor the execution of multiple AI coders or agents simultaneously. ### When should I avoid OpenHands? Avoid OpenHands if you prefer a fully managed service without self-hosting requirements or the complexity of managing multiple backends. Do not use it if your primary need is limited to a single AI model and does not benefit from broad compatibility with other agents like Claude Code, Codex, or ACP-compatible agents. ### When should I avoid orca? If your project requirements do not include orchestrating multiple agents or benefiting from real-time remote monitoring capabilities. When you do not need extensive workspace isolation between different worktree branches managed as separate AI coding agents. Your needs are best served by a single-agent ADE without advanced orchestration features. ### Is OpenHands or orca more popular on GitHub? OpenHands has more GitHub stars (79,943 vs 13,788). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are OpenHands and orca open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (OpenHands: Other, orca: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to OpenHands or orca? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at /tools/openhands-openhands/alternatives and /tools/stablyai-orca/alternatives (/tools/openhands-openhands/alternatives.md, /tools/stablyai-orca/alternatives.md), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at /compare/openhands-openhands-vs-stablyai-orca.md mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, OpenHands or orca? OpenHands: Very active. orca: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for OpenHands and orca? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: OpenHands: /tools/openhands-openhands/trust; orca: /tools/stablyai-orca/trust. --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=openhands-openhands`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=openhands-openhands) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_