InvokeAIvsNATS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| InvokeAI | NATS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 11 in Image Generation | #2 of 12 in Message Broker |
| GitHub stars | 28 903 | 20 954 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +623 | +192 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 | 18 |
| Latest release | v6.14.2 · 27 Sept 2026 | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |
Which one should you pick?
InvokeAI scores 82/100 against 80/100 for NATS, so it is the safer default.
NATS ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 13 for InvokeAI.
If you want the quickest setup, InvokeAI is easier to run; NATS needs more configuration.
InvokeAI is growing faster right now (+623 stars in 30 days).
InvokeAI details →NATS details →
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