# docker-pi-hole vs NATS

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

| | docker-pi-hole | NATS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 41 in DNS | #2 of 12 in Message Broker |
| GitHub stars | 11 728 | 20 956 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +113 | +191 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 | 18 ✓ |
| Latest release | 2026.10.0 · 17 Oct 2026 | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Shell | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

NATS scores 80/100 against 77/100 for docker-pi-hole, so it is the safer default.

NATS ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for docker-pi-hole.

If you want the quickest setup, docker-pi-hole is easier to run; NATS needs more configuration.

## Details

- [docker-pi-hole](https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-pi-hole) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-pi-hole.md)
- [NATS](https://selfhost.directory/project/nats) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nats.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/docker-pi-hole-vs-nats