# headscale vs pcp

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

| | headscale | pcp |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 62/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #36 of 104 in Monitoring & observability |
| GitHub stars | 45 154 ✓ | 1 079 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 047 ✓ | +3 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 10 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 ✓ | 7.2.2 · 7 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Other |
| Main language | Go | C |

## Which one should you pick?

headscale scores 82/100 against 62/100 for pcp, so it is the safer default.

pcp ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.

headscale is growing faster right now (+1 047 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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