# CTFd vs element-web

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

| | CTFd | element-web |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 | 75/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 30 in Education | #2 of 33 in Communication |
| GitHub stars | 6 894 | 13 621 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +44 | +119 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 9 | 17 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.8.9 · 22 Oct 2026 | v1.12.33 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

element-web scores 75/100 against 70/100 for CTFd, so it is the safer default.

element-web ships more often: 17 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for CTFd.

If you want the quickest setup, CTFd is easier to run; element-web needs more configuration.

element-web is growing faster right now (+119 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [CTFd](https://selfhost.directory/project/ctfd) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/ctfd.md)
- [element-web](https://selfhost.directory/project/element-web) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/element-web.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/ctfd-vs-element-web