# github-act-runner vs harness

> 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.

| | github-act-runner | harness |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 48/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #23 of 28 in CI/CD | #3 of 28 in CI/CD |
| GitHub stars | 397 | 38 746 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +319 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 4 | 6 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.13.0 · 23 Jan 2026 | v2.28.2 · 20 Apr 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

harness scores 80/100 against 48/100 for github-act-runner, so it is the safer default.

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

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

harness is growing faster right now (+319 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [github-act-runner](https://selfhost.directory/project/github-act-runner) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/github-act-runner.md)
- [harness](https://selfhost.directory/project/harness) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/harness.md)

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