# bookwyrm vs headscale

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

| | bookwyrm | headscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 58/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #26 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #1 of 31 in Networking |
| GitHub stars | 2 807 | 45 150 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +21 | +1 043 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 ✓ | 7 |
| Latest release | v0.9.3 · 9 Sept 2026 | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Other | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Python | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

headscale scores 82/100 against 58/100 for bookwyrm, so it is the safer default.

bookwyrm ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.

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

headscale is growing faster right now (+1 043 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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