BackstagevsJoplin
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Backstage | Joplin | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #8 of 166 in Developer Tools | #2 of 81 in Notes & Editors |
| GitHub stars | 34 737 | 56 920 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +55 | +440 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 18 |
| Latest release | v1.57.0-next.0 · 27 Oct 2026 | v3.7.22 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Joplin scores 83/100 against 79/100 for Backstage, so it is the safer default.
Joplin ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for Backstage.
If you want the quickest setup, Joplin is easier to run; Backstage needs more configuration.
Joplin is growing faster right now (+440 stars in 30 days).
Backstage details →Joplin details →