EMQXvsPontoon
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| EMQX | Pontoon | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 | 44/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 14 in Messaging | #8 of 8 in Data Pipeline |
| GitHub stars | 16 868 | 244 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +114 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 0 |
| Latest release | 6.3.2 · 16 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | Erlang | Python |
Which one should you pick?
EMQX scores 78/100 against 44/100 for Pontoon, so it is the safer default.
EMQX ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Pontoon.
If you want the quickest setup, Pontoon is easier to run; EMQX needs more configuration.
EMQX is growing faster right now (+114 stars in 30 days).
EMQX details →Pontoon details →