# deer-flow vs SmarterRouter

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

| | deer-flow | SmarterRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 86/100 ✓ | 47/100 |
| Rank in category | #5 of 209 in AI Agents | #36 of 69 in AI Chat |
| GitHub stars | 84 589 ✓ | 154 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 668 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 10 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.1.0 · 24 Sept 2026 ✓ | 2.2.5 · 18 Apr 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

deer-flow scores 86/100 against 47/100 for SmarterRouter, so it is the safer default.

SmarterRouter ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for deer-flow.

If you want the quickest setup, SmarterRouter is easier to run; deer-flow needs more configuration.

deer-flow is growing faster right now (+1 668 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [deer-flow](https://selfhost.directory/project/deer-flow) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/deer-flow.md)
- [SmarterRouter](https://selfhost.directory/project/smarterrouter) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/smarterrouter.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/deer-flow-vs-smarterrouter