# checkmate vs penpot

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

| | checkmate | penpot |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #15 of 104 in Monitoring & observability | #1 of 30 in Collaboration |
| GitHub stars | 11 005 | 61 801 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +122 | +1 489 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 ✓ | 12 |
| Latest release | v3.13.1 · 22 Oct 2026 | 2.18.5 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Clojure |

## Which one should you pick?

penpot scores 84/100 against 72/100 for checkmate, so it is the safer default.

checkmate ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for penpot.

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

penpot is growing faster right now (+1 489 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [checkmate](https://selfhost.directory/project/checkmate) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/checkmate.md)
- [penpot](https://selfhost.directory/project/penpot) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/penpot.md)

## Related comparisons

- [OpenDesign vs penpot](https://selfhost.directory/compare/open-design-vs-penpot)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/checkmate-vs-penpot