# headscale vs Qeli

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

| | headscale | Qeli |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 46/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #42 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 45 143 ✓ | 262 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 073 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 10 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | v0.8.3 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

headscale scores 82/100 against 46/100 for Qeli, so it is the safer default.

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

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

headscale is growing faster right now (+1 073 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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