bookwyrmvsopenpencil
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| bookwyrm | openpencil | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 58/100 | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #26 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #2 of 7 in Design |
| GitHub stars | 2 807 | 9 415 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +21 | +814 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 | 14 |
| Latest release | v0.9.4 · 29 Oct 2026 | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
openpencil scores 73/100 against 58/100 for bookwyrm, so it is the safer default.
openpencil ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for bookwyrm.
If you want the quickest setup, openpencil is easier to run; bookwyrm needs more configuration.
openpencil is growing faster right now (+814 stars in 30 days).
bookwyrm details →openpencil details →