Apache KafkavsNeko
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | Neko | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 78/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #3 of 22 in Remote Desktop |
| GitHub stars | 34 152 | 22 561 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +346 | +186 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 4 |
| Latest release | — | v3.2.0 · 15 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Java | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Apache Kafka scores 83/100 against 78/100 for Neko, so it is the safer default.
Neko ships more often: 4 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Kafka.
Apache Kafka details →Neko details →