# Audiobookshelf vs NATS

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

| | Audiobookshelf | NATS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 15 in Audiobook Management | #2 of 12 in Message Broker |
| GitHub stars | 14 845 | 20 957 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +408 ✓ | +192 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 18 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.37.2 · 23 Oct 2026 | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

NATS scores 80/100 against 79/100 for Audiobookshelf, so it is the safer default.

NATS ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for Audiobookshelf.

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

Audiobookshelf is growing faster right now (+408 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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