rea vs context-mode
rea is the more adopted project, with 380,437 GitHub stars against 32,159 for context-mode (about 11.8x more). rea was updated more recently (today, against today). Both are written in TypeScript.
| rea | context-mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Reverse engineer anything with agents, from app behavior down to native binaries. | Context window optimization for AI coding agents. Sandboxes tool output (98% reduction), persists session memory, and enforces routing across 17 platforms via MCP + hooks. |
| Author | morluto | mksglu |
| Stars | 380437 | 32159 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Last update | 2026-10-25T07:13:11Z | 2026-10-24T20:48:52Z |
| Source | https://github.com/morluto/rea | https://github.com/mksglu/context-mode |
| Stars this week | +61,576 | +1,487 |
Which should you choose?
- rea describes itself as: "Reverse engineer anything with agents, from app behavior down to native binaries."
- context-mode describes itself as: "Context window optimization for AI coding agents. Sandboxes tool output (98% reduction), persists session memory, and enforces routing..."
Stars measure adoption, not fit. Read both READMEs for the tools each server exposes, then try them side by side in your client: the install guide shows how to add both.
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, rea or context-mode?
rea has more GitHub stars: 380,437 against 32,159. This week rea gained 61,576 stars and context-mode gained 1,487, which says more about current momentum than the all-time total. Both figures are refreshed daily from GitHub.
Are rea and context-mode open source?
rea: MIT (open source). context-mode: Other. An open-source license lets you run and self-host the server at no cost. If either one wraps a commercial API, that provider's pricing still applies, so read each README for the accounts and keys it needs.
Can I use rea and context-mode together?
Yes, if both run as MCP servers. MCP clients such as Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code can connect to several servers at once, and the agent picks tools from each. Give them distinct names in your config, and keep the number of active servers small so tool definitions do not crowd the context window.
Related comparisons
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- storybook vs context-mode
- context7 vs context-mode
rea details · context-mode details · All Developer Tools MCP servers
Data last updated . Stars and downloads are refreshed every day from GitHub and npm.