# DietPi vs Pterodactyl

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

| | DietPi | Pterodactyl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 75/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 8 in Operating System | #5 of 62 in Game Servers |
| GitHub stars | 6 369 | 9 437 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +78 | +183 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 11 |
| Latest release | v10.8 · 21 Oct 2026 | v1.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Shell | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

Pterodactyl scores 75/100 against 71/100 for DietPi, so it is the safer default.

If you want the quickest setup, DietPi is easier to run; Pterodactyl needs more configuration.

Pterodactyl is growing faster right now (+183 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [DietPi](https://selfhost.directory/project/dietpi) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/dietpi.md)
- [Pterodactyl](https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/dietpi-vs-pterodactyl