# Calibre vs headscale

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

| | Calibre | headscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 19 in Ebook Management | #1 of 31 in Networking |
| GitHub stars | 26 274 | 45 165 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +265 | +1 058 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 ✓ | 7 |
| Latest release | v9.17.0 · 23 Oct 2026 | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Python | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Calibre scores 83/100 against 82/100 for headscale, so it is the safer default.

Calibre ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.

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

headscale is growing faster right now (+1 058 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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