# Lemmy vs PairDrop

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

| | Lemmy | PairDrop |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/100 | 75/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #2 of 86 in File Sharing |
| GitHub stars | 14 651 ✓ | 11 714 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +44 | +255 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 0.19.21 · 26 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Rust | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Lemmy and PairDrop score the same (75/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.

Lemmy ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for PairDrop.

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

PairDrop is growing faster right now (+255 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Lemmy](https://selfhost.directory/project/lemmy) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/lemmy.md)
- [PairDrop](https://selfhost.directory/project/pairdrop) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pairdrop.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/lemmy-vs-pairdrop