headscalevsWakupator
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| headscale | Wakupator | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 43/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #11 of 22 in Home Server |
| GitHub stars | 45 151 | 184 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 044 | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 1 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | v1.2.0 · 6 Feb 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Main language | Go | C |
Which one should you pick?
headscale scores 82/100 against 43/100 for Wakupator, so it is the safer default.
headscale ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for Wakupator.
If you want the quickest setup, headscale is easier to run; Wakupator needs more configuration.
headscale is growing faster right now (+1 044 stars in 30 days).
headscale details →Wakupator details →