# Incus vs StartOS

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

| | Incus | StartOS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/100 ✓ | 61/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 44 in Container Management | #5 of 22 in Home Server |
| GitHub stars | 6 515 ✓ | 1 994 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +275 ✓ | +9 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 | 23 ✓ |
| Latest release | v7.0.2 · 16 Oct 2026 | start-os/v0.4.0.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Incus scores 75/100 against 61/100 for StartOS, so it is the safer default.

StartOS ships more often: 23 stable releases in the past year, against 16 for Incus.

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

Incus is growing faster right now (+275 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Incus](https://selfhost.directory/project/incus) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/incus.md)
- [StartOS](https://selfhost.directory/project/startos) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/startos.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/incus-vs-startos