# Guardian vs livekit

> Two self-hosted [Media Server projects](https://selfhost.directory/media-server), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Guardian | livekit |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 41/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #95 of 118 in Media Server | #2 of 118 in Media Server |
| GitHub stars | 174 | 21 895 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +820 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 | 19 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.1.0 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | v1.13.11 · 25 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Other | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

livekit scores 80/100 against 41/100 for Guardian, so it is the safer default.

livekit ships more often: 19 stable releases in the past year, against 13 for Guardian.

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

livekit is growing faster right now (+820 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Guardian](https://selfhost.directory/project/guardian) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/guardian.md)
- [livekit](https://selfhost.directory/project/livekit) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/livekit.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/guardian-vs-livekit