# koel vs NodeLink

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

| | koel | NodeLink |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/100 ✓ | 50/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 59 in Music Streaming | #7 of 14 in Audio Streaming |
| GitHub stars | 17 321 ✓ | 162 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +59 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 22 ✓ | 10 |
| Latest release | v9.15.0 · 28 Sept 2026 ✓ | v3.9.0 · 14 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | PHP | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

koel scores 75/100 against 50/100 for NodeLink, so it is the safer default.

koel ships more often: 22 stable releases in the past year, against 10 for NodeLink.

koel is growing faster right now (+59 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [koel](https://selfhost.directory/project/koel) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/koel.md)
- [NodeLink](https://selfhost.directory/project/nodelink) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nodelink.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/koel-vs-nodelink