# 3x-ui vs headscale

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | 3x-ui | headscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 ✓ | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 34 in Network Management | #1 of 31 in Networking |
| GitHub stars | 48 779 ✓ | 45 143 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +447 | +1 073 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 10 ✓ | 7 |
| Latest release | v3.11.0 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

3x-ui scores 84/100 against 82/100 for headscale, so it is the safer default.

3x-ui ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.

If you want the quickest setup, 3x-ui is easier to run; headscale needs more configuration.

headscale is growing faster right now (+1 073 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [3x-ui](https://selfhost.directory/project/3x-ui) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/3x-ui.md)
- [headscale](https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/3x-ui-vs-headscale