headscalevspretalx
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| headscale | pretalx | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 62/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #2 of 3 in Conference Management |
| GitHub stars | 45 162 | 954 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 055 | +8 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 7 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | v2026.2.1 · 8 Jul 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Other |
| Main language | Go | Python |
Which one should you pick?
headscale scores 82/100 against 62/100 for pretalx, so it is the safer default.
If you want the quickest setup, headscale is easier to run; pretalx needs more configuration.
headscale is growing faster right now (+1 055 stars in 30 days).
headscale details →pretalx details →