# livekit vs sms

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

| | livekit | sms |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 48/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 118 in Media Server | #11 of 12 in Maps |
| GitHub stars | 21 913 ✓ | 269 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +814 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 19 ✓ | 5 |
| Latest release | v1.13.11 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ | 8.0.0 · 8 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

livekit scores 80/100 against 48/100 for sms, so it is the safer default.

livekit ships more often: 19 stable releases in the past year, against 5 for sms.

If you want the quickest setup, sms 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)
- [sms](https://selfhost.directory/project/sms) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/sms.md)

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