# consul vs SimpleX Chat

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

| | consul | SimpleX Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 74/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 31 in Networking | #4 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 30 089 ✓ | 19 612 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +8 | +139 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 12 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.1.0 · 22 Oct 2026 ✓ | v7.0.4 · 3 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | Haskell |

## Which one should you pick?

SimpleX Chat scores 74/100 against 73/100 for consul, so it is the safer default.

SimpleX Chat ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for consul.

If you want the quickest setup, SimpleX Chat is easier to run; consul needs more configuration.

SimpleX Chat is growing faster right now (+139 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [consul](https://selfhost.directory/project/consul) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/consul.md)
- [SimpleX Chat](https://selfhost.directory/project/simplex-chat) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/simplex-chat.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/consul-vs-simplex-chat