# deer-flow vs Understudy

> Two self-hosted [AI Agents projects](https://selfhost.directory/ai-agents), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | deer-flow | Understudy |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 86/100 ✓ | 48/100 |
| Rank in category | #5 of 209 in AI Agents | #110 of 209 in AI Agents |
| GitHub stars | 84 580 ✓ | 465 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 659 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v2.1.0 · 24 Sept 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

deer-flow scores 86/100 against 48/100 for Understudy, so it is the safer default.

deer-flow ships more often: 2 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Understudy.

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

deer-flow is growing faster right now (+1 659 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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