actions-runner-controllervsNode RED
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| actions-runner-controller | Node RED | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 81/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #1 of 26 in Automation |
| GitHub stars | 6 610 | 23 790 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +93 | +108 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 21 |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | 4.1.17 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Node RED scores 81/100 against 71/100 for actions-runner-controller, so it is the safer default.
Node RED ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.
If you want the quickest setup, Node RED is easier to run; actions-runner-controller needs more configuration.
actions-runner-controller details →Node RED details →