# cobalt vs media-journal

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

| | cobalt | media-journal |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 45/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 45 in Download Management | #98 of 142 in Media Management |
| GitHub stars | 45 597 ✓ | 138 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 813 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 20 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v1.31.3 · 15 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Svelte | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

cobalt scores 83/100 against 45/100 for media-journal, so it is the safer default.

media-journal ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for cobalt.

If you want the quickest setup, cobalt is easier to run; media-journal needs more configuration.

cobalt is growing faster right now (+1 813 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [cobalt](https://selfhost.directory/project/cobalt) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/cobalt.md)
- [media-journal](https://selfhost.directory/project/media-journal) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/media-journal.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/cobalt-vs-media-journal