# Haraka vs Shields

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

| | Haraka | Shields |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #6 of 16 in Mail Server | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 5 627 | 27 334 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +10 | +128 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v3.3.5 · 17 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Shields scores 80/100 against 67/100 for Haraka, so it is the safer default.

Haraka ships more often: 13 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.

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

Shields is growing faster right now (+128 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Haraka](https://selfhost.directory/project/haraka) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/haraka.md)
- [Shields](https://selfhost.directory/project/shields) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shields.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/haraka-vs-shields