# Answer vs Apache SkyWalking

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

| | Answer | Apache SkyWalking |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 76/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #5 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #2 of 9 in Application Performance Monitoring |
| GitHub stars | 15 702 | 24 977 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +21 ✓ | +3 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v2.0.3 · 22 Sept 2026 ✓ | v11.0.0 · 28 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

Apache SkyWalking scores 76/100 against 71/100 for Answer, so it is the safer default.

Answer ships more often: 6 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Apache SkyWalking.

If you want the quickest setup, Answer is easier to run; Apache SkyWalking needs more configuration.

Answer is growing faster right now (+21 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Answer](https://selfhost.directory/project/answer) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/answer.md)
- [Apache SkyWalking](https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/answer-vs-skywalking