# Janus vs Lemmy

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

| | Janus | Lemmy |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 | 75/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #5 of 33 in Communication | #3 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 9 197 | 14 653 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +27 | +44 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 3 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | 0.19.21 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | C | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Lemmy scores 75/100 against 67/100 for Janus, so it is the safer default.

Lemmy ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Janus.

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

## Details

- [Janus](https://selfhost.directory/project/janus) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/janus.md)
- [Lemmy](https://selfhost.directory/project/lemmy) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/lemmy.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/janus-vs-lemmy