# headscale vs netdata

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

| | headscale | netdata |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 87/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #4 of 104 in Monitoring & observability |
| GitHub stars | 45 143 | 81 201 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 073 ✓ | +567 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 16 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.12.2 · 23 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

netdata scores 87/100 against 82/100 for headscale, so it is the safer default.

netdata ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.

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

## Details

- [headscale](https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/headscale.md)
- [netdata](https://selfhost.directory/project/netdata) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/netdata.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Langfuse vs netdata](https://selfhost.directory/compare/langfuse-vs-netdata)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/headscale-vs-netdata