# Drone CI vs github-act-runner

> Two self-hosted [CI/CD projects](https://selfhost.directory/cicd), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Drone CI | github-act-runner |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 ✓ | 48/100 |
| Rank in category | #4 of 28 in CI/CD | #23 of 28 in CI/CD |
| GitHub stars | 38 745 ✓ | 397 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +318 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 ✓ | 4 |
| Latest release | v2.28.2 · 20 Apr 2026 ✓ | v0.13.0 · 23 Jan 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Drone CI scores 79/100 against 48/100 for github-act-runner, so it is the safer default.

Drone CI ships more often: 6 stable releases in the past year, against 4 for github-act-runner.

If you want the quickest setup, Drone CI is easier to run; github-act-runner needs more configuration.

Drone CI is growing faster right now (+318 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Drone CI](https://selfhost.directory/project/drone-ci) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/drone-ci.md)
- [github-act-runner](https://selfhost.directory/project/github-act-runner) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/github-act-runner.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/drone-ci-vs-github-act-runner