# dockhand vs Pterodactyl

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

| | dockhand | Pterodactyl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 75/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #4 of 44 in Container Management | #4 of 62 in Game Servers |
| GitHub stars | 6 920 | 9 438 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +499 ✓ | +183 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 31 ✓ | 11 |
| Latest release | v1.0.55 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ | v1.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

Pterodactyl scores 75/100 against 73/100 for dockhand, so it is the safer default.

dockhand ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for Pterodactyl.

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

dockhand is growing faster right now (+499 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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