# actions-runner-controller vs Semaphore UI

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

| | actions-runner-controller | Semaphore UI |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 73/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #12 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 6 614 | 14 336 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +97 | +153 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 20 ✓ |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.18.31 · 7 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Semaphore UI scores 73/100 against 71/100 for actions-runner-controller, so it is the safer default.

Semaphore UI ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.

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

## Details

- [actions-runner-controller](https://selfhost.directory/project/actions-runner-controller) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/actions-runner-controller.md)
- [Semaphore UI](https://selfhost.directory/project/semaphore-ui) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/semaphore-ui.md)

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