actions-runner-controllervsOrca
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| actions-runner-controller | Orca | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 91/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #1 of 209 in AI Agents |
| GitHub stars | 6 610 | 108 642 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +93 | +8 735 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 15 |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | v1.4.243 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Orca scores 91/100 against 71/100 for actions-runner-controller, so it is the safer default.
Orca ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.
If you want the quickest setup, Orca is easier to run; actions-runner-controller needs more configuration.
Orca is growing faster right now (+8 735 stars in 30 days).
actions-runner-controller details →Orca details →