# EMQX vs plain-app

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

| | EMQX | plain-app |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 ✓ | 69/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 14 in Messaging | #3 of 11 in File Transfer & Sync |
| GitHub stars | 16 868 ✓ | 7 085 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +114 | +325 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 34 ✓ |
| Latest release | 6.3.2 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ | v3.3.25 · 11 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Erlang | Kotlin |

## Which one should you pick?

EMQX scores 78/100 against 69/100 for plain-app, so it is the safer default.

plain-app ships more often: 34 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for EMQX.

If you want the quickest setup, plain-app is easier to run; EMQX needs more configuration.

plain-app is growing faster right now (+325 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [EMQX](https://selfhost.directory/project/emqx) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/emqx.md)
- [plain-app](https://selfhost.directory/project/plain-app) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/plain-app.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/emqx-vs-plain-app