# LinuxCNC vs NATS

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

| | LinuxCNC | NATS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 64/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 4 in Industrial IoT | #2 of 12 in Message Broker |
| GitHub stars | 2 512 | 20 953 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +11 | +191 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 18 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.9.10 · 3 Jul 2026 | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Python | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

NATS scores 80/100 against 64/100 for LinuxCNC, so it is the safer default.

NATS ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for LinuxCNC.

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

NATS is growing faster right now (+191 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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