ActualvsNode RED
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Actual | Node RED | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 81/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 62 in Personal Finance | #1 of 26 in Automation |
| GitHub stars | 29 830 | 23 790 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +715 | +108 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 21 |
| Latest release | v26.10.0 · 2 Oct 2026 | 4.1.17 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Actual and Node RED score the same (81/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.
Node RED ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for Actual.
If you want the quickest setup, Node RED is easier to run; Actual needs more configuration.
Actual is growing faster right now (+715 stars in 30 days).
Actual details →Node RED details →
Swap a project
Keep Actual, compare it with
Keep Node RED, compare it with