# headscale vs penpot

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

| | headscale | penpot |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #1 of 30 in Collaboration |
| GitHub stars | 45 160 | 61 819 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 053 | +1 477 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 12 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | 2.18.5 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MPL-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Clojure |

## Which one should you pick?

penpot scores 84/100 against 82/100 for headscale, so it is the safer default.

penpot ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.

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

## Details

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

## Related comparisons

- [OpenDesign vs penpot](https://selfhost.directory/compare/open-design-vs-penpot)

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