# dokku vs StartOS

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

| | dokku | StartOS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 61/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 14 in Platform as a Service | #5 of 22 in Home Server |
| GitHub stars | 32 204 ✓ | 1 994 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +50 ✓ | +9 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 23 | 23 |
| Latest release | v0.38.32 · 25 Oct 2026 | start-os/v0.4.0.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

dokku scores 77/100 against 61/100 for StartOS, so it is the safer default.

dokku is growing faster right now (+50 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [dokku](https://selfhost.directory/project/dokku) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/dokku.md)
- [StartOS](https://selfhost.directory/project/startos) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/startos.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/dokku-vs-startos