# Lightpanda vs CloakBrowser

> Two self-hosted [Browser Automation projects](https://selfhost.directory/browser-automation), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Lightpanda | CloakBrowser |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 ✓ | 75/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Browser Automation | #2 of 11 in Browser Automation |
| GitHub stars | 37 096 ✓ | 32 557 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +295 ✓ | +199 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 ✓ | 5 |
| Latest release | 1.0.2 · 22 Oct 2026 | chromium-v155.0.8059.39.2-pro · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Zig | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Lightpanda scores 79/100 against 75/100 for CloakBrowser, so it is the safer default.

Lightpanda ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 5 for CloakBrowser.

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

## Details

- [Lightpanda](https://selfhost.directory/project/browser) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/browser.md)
- [CloakBrowser](https://selfhost.directory/project/cloakbrowser) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/cloakbrowser.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/browser-vs-cloakbrowser