# grimmory vs scalar

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

| | grimmory | scalar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 69/100 | 76/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Book Management | #3 of 13 in API |
| GitHub stars | 4 626 | 16 336 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +201 ✓ | +147 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 19 | 46 ✓ |
| Latest release | v3.5.0 · 21 Sept 2026 | release-2026-10-28-0d01943 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Java | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

scalar scores 76/100 against 69/100 for grimmory, so it is the safer default.

scalar ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 19 for grimmory.

If you want the quickest setup, scalar is easier to run; grimmory needs more configuration.

## Details

- [grimmory](https://selfhost.directory/project/grimmory) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/grimmory.md)
- [scalar](https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/grimmory-vs-scalar