EMQXvsOpenWrt
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| EMQX | OpenWrt | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 14 in Messaging | #1 of 8 in Operating System |
| GitHub stars | 16 868 | 28 967 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +113 | +454 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 10 |
| Latest release | 6.3.2 · 16 Oct 2026 | v25.12.6 · 18 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | Erlang | C |
Which one should you pick?
OpenWrt scores 83/100 against 78/100 for EMQX, so it is the safer default.
EMQX ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 10 for OpenWrt.
If you want the quickest setup, OpenWrt is easier to run; EMQX needs more configuration.
OpenWrt is growing faster right now (+454 stars in 30 days).
EMQX details →OpenWrt details →