# DeepSeek Harness vs openpencil

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

| | DeepSeek Harness | openpencil |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 87/100 ✓ | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 209 in AI Agents | #2 of 7 in Design |
| GitHub stars | 265 139 ✓ | 9 407 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +9 147 ✓ | +806 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 14 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

DeepSeek Harness scores 87/100 against 73/100 for openpencil, so it is the safer default.

openpencil ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for DeepSeek Harness.

If you want the quickest setup, openpencil is easier to run; DeepSeek Harness needs more configuration.

DeepSeek Harness is growing faster right now (+9 147 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [DeepSeek Harness](https://selfhost.directory/project/deepseek-harness) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/deepseek-harness.md)
- [openpencil](https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/deepseek-harness-vs-openpencil