actions-runner-controllervsprefect
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| actions-runner-controller | prefect | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #5 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 6 610 | 24 090 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +93 | +178 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 17 |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | 2.20.27 · 23 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Python |
Which one should you pick?
prefect scores 80/100 against 71/100 for actions-runner-controller, so it is the safer default.
prefect ships more often: 17 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.
If you want the quickest setup, prefect is easier to run; actions-runner-controller needs more configuration.
actions-runner-controller details →prefect details →