actions-runner-controllervsn8n
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| actions-runner-controller | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 92/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #1 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 6 610 | 208 889 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +93 | +3 080 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 205 |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | n8n@3.0.1 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
n8n scores 92/100 against 71/100 for actions-runner-controller, so it is the safer default.
n8n ships more often: 205 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.
If you want the quickest setup, n8n is easier to run; actions-runner-controller needs more configuration.
n8n is growing faster right now (+3 080 stars in 30 days).
actions-runner-controller details →n8n details →