# LinuxCNC vs Mainsail

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

| | LinuxCNC | Mainsail |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 64/100 | 65/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 4 in Industrial IoT | #3 of 22 in 3D Printing |
| GitHub stars | 2 512 ✓ | 2 236 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +11 | +20 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 8 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.9.10 · 3 Jul 2026 | v2.19.0 · 27 Aug 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Python | Vue |

## Which one should you pick?

Mainsail scores 65/100 against 64/100 for LinuxCNC, so it is the safer default.

Mainsail ships more often: 8 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for LinuxCNC.

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

## Details

- [LinuxCNC](https://selfhost.directory/project/linuxcnc) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/linuxcnc.md)
- [Mainsail](https://selfhost.directory/project/mainsail) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mainsail.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/linuxcnc-vs-mainsail