If you have searched both names and wondered whether they are the same game, here is the short answer: they are closely related but separate projects. OpenFront.io is the open-source project that inspired FrontWars.io, and the two share the same territory-control loop while differing in how they are built, updated, and played.
Are they the same game?
No, but they share a lineage. OpenFront.io is an open-source project, written in TypeScript and released under the AGPL-3.0 license, maintained by @evanpelle. It is itself a fork and rewrite of the earlier WarFront.io, and it became the direct inspiration for FrontWars.io. FrontWars.io is the commercial, branded take built by VexxusArts, distributed in the browser and on Steam. OpenFront.io is the open-source project; FrontWars.io is a separate, polished commercial version built on the same idea.
How they differ
Which one should you play?
The gameplay is close enough that your skills transfer directly between them, so the decision is really about what you value off the map. Choose FrontWars.io if you want the most polished, no-setup version, a Steam presence, and a studio keeping the live game maintained. It is the easier on-ramp if you just want to open a tab and play.
Choose OpenFront.io if open source matters to you: you want to read or modify the code, host a private match for friends, or support a community-run project. Because it is the original inspiration, it is also the better pick if you are curious about how the genre's mechanics are actually implemented.
Either way, the strategy is the same. Our full FrontWars.io guide covers the opening, attack ratio, and the 72% push, while the buildings and weapons databases break down the economy and late game that both versions share.