# headscale vs tiledesk

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

| | headscale | tiledesk |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #46 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 45 165 ✓ | 325 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 058 ✓ | +1 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 ✓ | 1.2.1 · 6 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Mustache |

## Which one should you pick?

headscale scores 82/100 against 51/100 for tiledesk, so it is the safer default.

headscale ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for tiledesk.

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

headscale is growing faster right now (+1 058 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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