# actions-runner-controller vs Pulse

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

| | actions-runner-controller | Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #2 of 19 in Infrastructure Monitoring |
| GitHub stars | 6 610 | 6 970 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +93 | +229 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 43 ✓ |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | helm-chart-6.6.0 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

actions-runner-controller and Pulse score the same (71/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.

Pulse ships more often: 43 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.

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

Pulse is growing faster right now (+229 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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