What is the main difference between Hazel and Macro Chat?

Hazel and Macro Chat are both team chat & messaging tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Hazel or Macro Chat?

The choice between Hazel and Macro Chat depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Hazel to Macro Chat?

Migration between Hazel and Macro Chat is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Hazel vs Macro Chat

Learn how Hazel and Macro Chat differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these team chat & messaging tools is best for you.

Hazel

Team chat for developers with threads, full-text search, keyboard-first navigation, GitHub and Linear previews, desktop apps, and message sync with Slack and Discord.

Visit Hazel Read more

738stars+12(+1.7%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
6 hours ago
Repository age
2 years
Version
v1.1.3
License
FSL-1.1-ALv2
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
mapletechlabs/hazel

Macro Chat

Team chat app with inline threads, mention-based sharing, a unified inbox for chat and email, and an AI agent that works across your full workspace.

Visit Macro Chat Read more

6,333stars+1,632(+35%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
6 hours ago
Repository age
1 year
Version
v2026.11.12.0
License
AGPL-3.0
Repository
macro-inc/macro

Detailed Comparison

Both Hazel and Macro Chat have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Macro Chat wins

Community & Popularity

Macro Chat significantly outpaces Hazel in community adoption with 6,333 stars compared to 738 stars on GitHub. This 8.6x difference suggests Macro Chat has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Macro Chat has 594 forks, indicating moderate developer engagement.

Macro Chat wins

Growth Momentum

Macro Chat is growing faster, adding 1,632 stars in the last 30 days (+35%) against adding 12 stars for Hazel (+1.7%). Macro Chat is both larger and pulling further ahead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Hazel last updated 6 hours ago and Macro Chat 6 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Bash, Typescript, JSX, Rust, Kotlin, Tauri. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Hazel uses Tanstack Start while Macro Chat leverages Python, C, Objective-C, Swift.

Comparable

Project Maturity

Both projects started around the same time, with Hazel beginning 2 years ago and Macro Chat 1 year ago.

Comparable

Licensing

The projects use different licenses: Hazel is licensed under FSL-1.1-ALv2 while Macro Chat uses AGPL-3.0. Consider the licensing requirements when choosing for your project.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Team Chat & Messaging.

Hazel wins

Hosting & Deployment

Hazel provides self-hosting options for complete data control and customization, while Macro Chat may be primarily cloud-based or require different deployment approaches.