# actions-runner-controller vs dockwatch

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

| | actions-runner-controller | dockwatch |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 ✓ | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #20 of 44 in Container Management |
| GitHub stars | 6 613 ✓ | 341 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +96 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 12 ✓ |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ | v0.6.617 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

actions-runner-controller scores 71/100 against 51/100 for dockwatch, so it is the safer default.

dockwatch ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.

If you want the quickest setup, dockwatch is easier to run; actions-runner-controller needs more configuration.

actions-runner-controller is growing faster right now (+96 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [actions-runner-controller](https://selfhost.directory/project/actions-runner-controller) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/actions-runner-controller.md)
- [dockwatch](https://selfhost.directory/project/dockwatch) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/dockwatch.md)

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