# Comparisons

Spec-driven development has more than one implementation, and most of them are
free. This section says plainly where Forge differs, where a free tool is the
better call, and what you actually give up either way.

## The one distinction that separates them

Every tool on this page writes instructions an AI coding agent reads. Forge does
that too — most of what it does is configuration. The difference is that Forge
also ships a **runtime that returns a non-zero exit**: four controls that read
deterministic evidence and refuse to bless a run that went wrong, whatever the
agent narrated about it.

That is the whole comparison, restated three ways below.

| | Spec Kit | OpenSpec | Cursor rules | Maistik Forge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Spec-driven workflow | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Runs across many agents | Yes | Yes | Cursor only | 24 adapters + generic |
| Ships a binary that can fail a run | No | No | No | Yes — four enforced controls |
| Cost | Free, open source | Free, open source | Included with Cursor | [Paid licence](/pricing) |

## Pick your comparison

- **[Forge vs GitHub Spec Kit](/compare/spec-kit)** — the closest comparison.
  Same methodology lineage, different answer to "what happens when the agent
  ignores the method?"
- **[Forge vs OpenSpec](/compare/openspec)** — change-proposal workflows,
  side by side, including what `forge import openspec` maps one-to-one.
- **[Forge vs Cursor rules](/compare/cursor-rules)** — a workflow engine
  against a context-injection format. Not really rivals, and the page explains
  why people still compare them.

## Or against the status quo

Most teams evaluating Forge are not choosing between spec-driven tools —
they're choosing between Forge and what they already do:

- **[Forge vs No Governance](/compare/no-governance)** — the real default:
  running the agent with nothing external checking it.
- **[Forge vs Building It Yourself](/compare/build-your-own)** — the hooks
  and scripts most teams write once, then maintain forever.

## When you should not buy Forge

Stated up front, because a comparison page that never recommends the
alternative is an advertisement:

- **You want to try spec-driven development at all.** Start with Spec Kit or
  OpenSpec. They are free, they are good, and the ideas transfer. Forge imports
  either one [non-destructively](/features/migration) when you outgrow them.
- **You work alone on low-risk code.** The gates bound cost and blast radius.
  With neither at stake, you are paying for insurance you will not claim.
- **You only use Cursor and only want better context.** Write
  `.cursor/rules`. That is what they are for.

Forge earns its licence when a run can cost real money, touch a hot path, or
has to be defensible to somebody who was not watching.

::: info Keeping this honest
These comparisons were checked against each project's public documentation in
August 2026. Every claim about Forge is linked to the page that documents it.
If something here is out of date or unfair, say so and it gets corrected —
[maistik.studio](https://maistik.studio).
:::