# Bitfocus Companion vs Shields

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

| | Bitfocus Companion | Shields |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 68/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #10 of 104 in Home Automation | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 2 345 | 27 331 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +46 | +129 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 20 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v5.1.1 · 21 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Shields scores 80/100 against 68/100 for Bitfocus Companion, so it is the safer default.

Bitfocus Companion ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.

If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; Bitfocus Companion needs more configuration.

Shields is growing faster right now (+129 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Bitfocus Companion](https://selfhost.directory/project/bitfocus-companion) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/bitfocus-companion.md)
- [Shields](https://selfhost.directory/project/shields) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shields.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/bitfocus-companion-vs-shields