Side by side
OpenRewrite vs Refrax
Both stand on code refactoring tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
OpenRewrite offers a recipe-based way to make code changes within Maven or Gradle builds, with dry-run review available through Maven. Its one-repository scope and varying recipe access and licenses are important constraints.
Visit OpenRewrite Free plan LinuxMacWindows
Refrax breaks Java refactoring work into autonomous agent tasks and supports configurable reviewer checks. Its prototype status and lack of inherent correctness verification are important considerations before relying on its changes.
Visit RefraxThe facts
| OpenRewrite | Refrax | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Not published |
| Plans published | 1 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | openrewrite.org | github.com |
| On code refactoring tools | #12 of 22 | #16 of 22 |
OpenRewrite: what it does well
- Maven and Gradle plugins run recipes locally
- Dry-run reports changes and creates diff files
- Supports Java, Kotlin and Groovy
- Recipes cover migrations, security fixes and style
What to know first
- Runs recipes against one repository at a time
- Artifacts require repository authentication
- Some recipes require a Moderne subscription
- Some recipes use non-Apache licensing
Refrax: what it does well
- Free and MIT-licensed
- Pre-built binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows
- Supports DeepSeek and OpenAI providers
- Can export interaction statistics to CSV
What to know first
- Early prototype subject to rapid change
- Does not inherently verify correctness of changes
- Some operations require an AI provider token
- Source installation requires Go 1.24.1 or later
Alternatives to OpenRewrite Alternatives to Refrax The whole list