# Kestra vs Photon

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

| | Kestra | Photon |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 54/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 32 in Workflow Automation | #16 of 85 in Feed Reader |
| GitHub stars | 30 056 ✓ | 557 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 721 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 59 ✓ | 9 |
| Latest release | v1.3.45 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.4.3 · 30 Jul 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Java | Svelte |

## Which one should you pick?

Kestra scores 82/100 against 54/100 for Photon, so it is the safer default.

Kestra ships more often: 59 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for Photon.

Kestra is growing faster right now (+1 721 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Kestra](https://selfhost.directory/project/kestra) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kestra.md)
- [Photon](https://selfhost.directory/project/photon-2) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/photon-2.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Kestra vs prefect](https://selfhost.directory/compare/kestra-vs-prefect)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kestra-vs-photon-2