# checkmate vs Node RED

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

| | checkmate | Node RED |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 81/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #15 of 104 in Monitoring & observability | #1 of 26 in Automation |
| GitHub stars | 11 007 | 23 791 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +120 ✓ | +106 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 21 ✓ |
| Latest release | v3.13.1 · 22 Oct 2026 ✓ | 4.1.17 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Node RED scores 81/100 against 72/100 for checkmate, so it is the safer default.

Node RED ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for checkmate.

## Details

- [checkmate](https://selfhost.directory/project/checkmate) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/checkmate.md)
- [Node RED](https://selfhost.directory/project/node-red) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/node-red.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/checkmate-vs-node-red