# chroma vs Zealot

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

| | chroma | Zealot |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 ✓ | 55/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 5 in Vector Database | #17 of 28 in CI/CD |
| GitHub stars | 29 600 ✓ | 1 367 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +231 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | latest · 24 Jun 2026 | 6.2.2 · 25 Jul 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Rust | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

chroma scores 79/100 against 55/100 for Zealot, so it is the safer default.

chroma ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Zealot.

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

chroma is growing faster right now (+231 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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