# actions-runner-controller vs StartOS

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

| | actions-runner-controller | StartOS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 ✓ | 61/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #5 of 22 in Home Server |
| GitHub stars | 6 610 ✓ | 1 994 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +93 ✓ | +9 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 23 ✓ |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | start-os/v0.4.0.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

actions-runner-controller scores 71/100 against 61/100 for StartOS, so it is the safer default.

StartOS ships more often: 23 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.

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

actions-runner-controller is growing faster right now (+93 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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