# Lightpanda vs youtube-dl-server

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

| | Lightpanda | youtube-dl-server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 ✓ | 47/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Browser Automation | #31 of 45 in Download Management |
| GitHub stars | 37 258 ✓ | 319 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +457 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 1.0.2 · 22 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Easy | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Zig | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Lightpanda scores 79/100 against 47/100 for youtube-dl-server, so it is the safer default.

Lightpanda ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for youtube-dl-server.

Lightpanda is growing faster right now (+457 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/browser-vs-youtube-dl-server