# Kestra vs polar

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

| | Kestra | polar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 32 in Workflow Automation | #1 of 13 in Billing |
| GitHub stars | 30 059 ✓ | 10 436 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 724 ✓ | +157 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 59 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | v1.3.45 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ | @polar-sh/cli@3.0.0 · 16 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Java | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Kestra scores 82/100 against 71/100 for polar, so it is the safer default.

Kestra ships more often: 59 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for polar.

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

Kestra is growing faster right now (+1 724 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

## Related comparisons

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

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kestra-vs-polar