# Guardian vs Stash

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

| | Guardian | Stash |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 41/100 | 78/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #95 of 118 in Media Server | #2 of 142 in Media Management |
| GitHub stars | 174 | 13 308 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +302 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 ✓ | 7 |
| Latest release | v2.1.0 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | latest_develop · 24 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Stash scores 78/100 against 41/100 for Guardian, so it is the safer default.

Guardian ships more often: 13 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for Stash.

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

Stash is growing faster right now (+302 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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