# Janus vs Mastodon

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

| | Janus | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #5 of 33 in Communication | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 9 197 | 50 457 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +27 | +137 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 38 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | C | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

Mastodon scores 82/100 against 67/100 for Janus, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Janus.

Mastodon is growing faster right now (+137 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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