# actions-runner-controller vs Spoolman

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

| | actions-runner-controller | Spoolman |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 ✓ | 65/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #3 of 22 in 3D Printing |
| GitHub stars | 6 613 ✓ | 2 955 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +96 | +111 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 7 ✓ |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ | v0.27.0 · 25 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

actions-runner-controller scores 71/100 against 65/100 for Spoolman, so it is the safer default.

Spoolman ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.

If you want the quickest setup, Spoolman 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)
- [Spoolman](https://selfhost.directory/project/spoolman) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/spoolman.md)

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