# Audiobookshelf vs headscale

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

| | Audiobookshelf | headscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 15 in Audiobook Management | #1 of 31 in Networking |
| GitHub stars | 14 846 | 45 166 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +409 | +1 059 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 7 |
| Latest release | v2.37.2 · 23 Oct 2026 | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | JavaScript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

headscale scores 82/100 against 79/100 for Audiobookshelf, so it is the safer default.

Audiobookshelf ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.

If you want the quickest setup, Audiobookshelf is easier to run; headscale needs more configuration.

headscale is growing faster right now (+1 059 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Audiobookshelf](https://selfhost.directory/project/audiobookshelf) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/audiobookshelf.md)
- [headscale](https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/audiobookshelf-vs-headscale