# Headplane vs Pterodactyl

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

| | Headplane | Pterodactyl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 | 75/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #5 of 34 in Network Management | #5 of 62 in Game Servers |
| GitHub stars | 3 221 | 9 437 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +199 ✓ | +183 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 11 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.8.2 · 22 Oct 2026 ✓ | v1.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

Pterodactyl scores 75/100 against 67/100 for Headplane, so it is the safer default.

Pterodactyl ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for Headplane.

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

## Details

- [Headplane](https://selfhost.directory/project/headplane) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/headplane.md)
- [Pterodactyl](https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/headplane-vs-pterodactyl