livekitvsNATS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| livekit | NATS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 118 in Media Server | #2 of 12 in Message Broker |
| GitHub stars | 21 902 | 20 954 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +803 | +189 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 19 | 18 |
| Latest release | v1.13.11 · 25 Oct 2026 | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Go |
Which one should you pick?
livekit and NATS score the same (80/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.
livekit ships more often: 19 stable releases in the past year, against 18 for NATS.
If you want the quickest setup, NATS is easier to run; livekit needs more configuration.
livekit is growing faster right now (+803 stars in 30 days).
livekit details →NATS details →
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