# Kong vs Wagtail

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

| | Kong | Wagtail |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 ✓ | 79/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 19 in API Management | #3 of 42 in Content Management |
| GitHub stars | 44 318 ✓ | 20 594 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +132 ✓ | +89 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 19 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v8.0.1 · 20 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Lua | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong scores 81/100 against 79/100 for Wagtail, so it is the safer default.

Wagtail ships more often: 19 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong.

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

## Details

- [Kong](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong.md)
- [Wagtail](https://selfhost.directory/project/wagtail) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/wagtail.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Kong vs Traefik](https://selfhost.directory/compare/kong-vs-traefik)
- [directus vs Wagtail](https://selfhost.directory/compare/directus-vs-wagtail)
- [Ghost vs Wagtail](https://selfhost.directory/compare/ghost-vs-wagtail)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kong-vs-wagtail