# livekit vs NATS

> 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 | 21 913 ✓ | 20 956 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +814 ✓ | +191 |
| 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 (+814 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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