# Lightpanda vs sdnext

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

| | Lightpanda | sdnext |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 ✓ | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Browser Automation | #3 of 11 in Image Generation |
| GitHub stars | 37 100 ✓ | 7 362 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +299 ✓ | +16 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 1.0.2 · 22 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Zig | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Lightpanda scores 79/100 against 71/100 for sdnext, so it is the safer default.

Lightpanda ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for sdnext.

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

Lightpanda is growing faster right now (+299 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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