# actions-runner-controller vs netbird

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

| | actions-runner-controller | netbird |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 81/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #2 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 6 610 | 30 296 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +93 | +828 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 40 ✓ |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

netbird scores 81/100 against 71/100 for actions-runner-controller, so it is the safer default.

netbird ships more often: 40 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.

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

netbird is growing faster right now (+828 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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