# cobalt vs Pterodactyl

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

| | cobalt | Pterodactyl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 75/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 45 in Download Management | #4 of 62 in Game Servers |
| GitHub stars | 45 601 ✓ | 9 438 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 791 ✓ | +183 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 11 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v1.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | Svelte | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

cobalt scores 83/100 against 75/100 for Pterodactyl, so it is the safer default.

Pterodactyl ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for cobalt.

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

cobalt is growing faster right now (+1 791 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [cobalt](https://selfhost.directory/project/cobalt) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/cobalt.md)
- [Pterodactyl](https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/cobalt-vs-pterodactyl