GitHub Star History vs StarMapper
Two free tools, two different questions. star-history.com answers when your repo grew. StarMapper answers where your stargazers are, and most maintainers end up using both.
Side-by-side comparison
| Criterion | GitHub Star History | StarMapper |
|---|---|---|
| What it answers | When did your repo gain stars? Growth over time. | Where are your stargazers located? Geographic distribution. |
| Main visual | Line chart, star count vs date. | Interactive world map with clustered points by location. |
| Data shown | Star count over time, growth rate, milestones. | Country, city, company breakdowns. Top stargazers by followers. |
| Embeds | Star history chart image for README. | Badge (star count + countries) and scatter map image for README. |
| Login required | No, paste a repo URL. | No, paste a repo URL. |
| Price | Free. | Free. |
How maintainers use both
A typical workflow: check star-history.com to see if a recent blog post or HackerNews mention caused a star spike, then open StarMapper on the same repo to see which countries those new stargazers came from. The two tools give you the full picture: when the growth happened and where it came from.
Frequently asked questions
Is StarMapper a replacement for GitHub Star History?
No, they answer different questions. GitHub Star History (star-history.com) tracks star growth over time, which makes it useful for spotting viral moments or measuring marketing campaigns. StarMapper shows the geographic distribution of your current stargazers so you understand where your audience actually comes from. Most maintainers use both.
Can I see both time charts and a world map for my repo?
Yes, use each tool independently. Paste your repo URL into star-history.com for a growth chart, then paste the same URL into StarMapper for a world map. Both are free and require no account.
Does StarMapper show star history over time?
Not currently. StarMapper focuses on geographic distribution: which countries and cities your stargazers come from, which companies they work at, and who your most influential supporters are. For time-based star charts, star-history.com is the right tool.
Which repos work with StarMapper?
Any public GitHub repository. Paste the URL (e.g. github.com/owner/repo) and StarMapper fetches all stargazers via the GitHub API, geocodes their locations, and renders them on an interactive world map.