headscalevsMikochi
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| headscale | Mikochi | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 50/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #18 of 34 in File Management |
| GitHub stars | 45 148 | 378 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 078 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 11 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | 1.12.2 · 15 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Main language | Go | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
headscale scores 82/100 against 50/100 for Mikochi, so it is the safer default.
Mikochi ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.
If you want the quickest setup, Mikochi is easier to run; headscale needs more configuration.
headscale is growing faster right now (+1 078 stars in 30 days).
headscale details →Mikochi details →