# actions-runner-controller vs Docker Engine

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

| | actions-runner-controller | Docker Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #1 of 11 in Container Orchestration |
| GitHub stars | 6 611 | 72 217 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +94 ✓ | +85 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 17 ✓ |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ | docker-v29.9.2 · 20 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Docker Engine scores 80/100 against 71/100 for actions-runner-controller, so it is the safer default.

Docker Engine ships more often: 17 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.

## Details

- [actions-runner-controller](https://selfhost.directory/project/actions-runner-controller) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/actions-runner-controller.md)
- [Docker Engine](https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-engine) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-engine.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/actions-runner-controller-vs-docker-engine