# Lemmy vs Shlink

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

| | Lemmy | Shlink |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/100 ✓ | 70/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #3 of 23 in URL Shortener |
| GitHub stars | 14 653 ✓ | 5 382 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +44 | +79 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 13 ✓ |
| Latest release | 0.19.21 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | v5.1.8 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Rust | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

Lemmy scores 75/100 against 70/100 for Shlink, so it is the safer default.

Shlink ships more often: 13 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Lemmy.

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

## Details

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

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