# Lemmy vs Nova Server

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

| | Lemmy | Nova Server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/100 ✓ | 46/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #20 of 25 in Proxy |
| GitHub stars | 14 653 ✓ | 355 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +44 ✓ | +1 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 9 ✓ |
| Latest release | 0.19.21 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | v1.92.2 · 24 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | Rust | Shell |

## Which one should you pick?

Lemmy scores 75/100 against 46/100 for Nova Server, so it is the safer default.

Nova Server ships more often: 9 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Lemmy.

Lemmy is growing faster right now (+44 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Lemmy](https://selfhost.directory/project/lemmy) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/lemmy.md)
- [Nova Server](https://selfhost.directory/project/nova-server) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nova-server.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/lemmy-vs-nova-server