# certificates vs Syncthing

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

| | certificates | Syncthing |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 90/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 2 in PKI | #1 of 15 in File Sync |
| GitHub stars | 9 021 | 89 854 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +118 | +944 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 8 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.30.2 · 23 Mar 2026 | v2.1.7 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Syncthing scores 90/100 against 72/100 for certificates, so it is the safer default.

Syncthing ships more often: 8 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for certificates.

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

Syncthing is growing faster right now (+944 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [certificates](https://selfhost.directory/project/certificates) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/certificates.md)
- [Syncthing](https://selfhost.directory/project/syncthing) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/syncthing.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/certificates-vs-syncthing