# chroma vs sist2

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

| | chroma | sist2 |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 ✓ | 54/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 5 in Vector Database | #23 of 41 in Search Engines |
| GitHub stars | 29 597 ✓ | 1 329 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +233 ✓ | +21 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 12 ✓ |
| Latest release | latest · 24 Jun 2026 | v4.2.3 · 26 Aug 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Rust | C |

## Which one should you pick?

chroma scores 79/100 against 54/100 for sist2, so it is the safer default.

sist2 ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for chroma.

If you want the quickest setup, chroma is easier to run; sist2 needs more configuration.

chroma is growing faster right now (+233 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [chroma](https://selfhost.directory/project/chroma) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/chroma.md)
- [sist2](https://selfhost.directory/project/sist2) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/sist2.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/chroma-vs-sist2