# DesktopCommanderMCP vs Theia IDE

> Two self-hosted [Cursor alternatives](https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/cursor), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | DesktopCommanderMCP | Theia IDE |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 ✓ | 59/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 7 in LLM Integration | #45 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 10 152 ✓ | 613 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +425 ✓ | +5 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | v0.3.1 · 22 Oct 2026 ✓ | next · 24 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | JavaScript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

DesktopCommanderMCP scores 73/100 against 59/100 for Theia IDE, so it is the safer default.

DesktopCommanderMCP ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for Theia IDE.

If you want the quickest setup, DesktopCommanderMCP is easier to run; Theia IDE needs more configuration.

DesktopCommanderMCP is growing faster right now (+425 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [DesktopCommanderMCP](https://selfhost.directory/project/desktopcommandermcp) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/desktopcommandermcp.md)
- [Theia IDE](https://selfhost.directory/project/theia-ide) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/theia-ide.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/desktopcommandermcp-vs-theia-ide