headscalevsyoutube-dl-server
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| headscale | youtube-dl-server | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 47/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #31 of 45 in Download Management |
| GitHub stars | 45 172 | 319 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 065 | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 0 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Python |
Which one should you pick?
headscale scores 82/100 against 47/100 for youtube-dl-server, so it is the safer default.
headscale ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for youtube-dl-server.
If you want the quickest setup, youtube-dl-server is easier to run; headscale needs more configuration.
headscale is growing faster right now (+1 065 stars in 30 days).
headscale details →youtube-dl-server details →