# ESPHome vs Technitium DNS Server

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

| | ESPHome | Technitium DNS Server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 ✓ | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #4 of 104 in Home Automation | #3 of 41 in DNS |
| GitHub stars | 11 979 ✓ | 10 251 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +257 | +263 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 46 ✓ | 11 |
| Latest release | 2026.10.1 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ | v15.6.2 · 17 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | C | C |

## Which one should you pick?

ESPHome scores 78/100 against 77/100 for Technitium DNS Server, so it is the safer default.

ESPHome ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for Technitium DNS Server.

If you want the quickest setup, Technitium DNS Server is easier to run; ESPHome needs more configuration.

## Details

- [ESPHome](https://selfhost.directory/project/esphome) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/esphome.md)
- [Technitium DNS Server](https://selfhost.directory/project/technitium-dns-server) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/technitium-dns-server.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/esphome-vs-technitium-dns-server