LXDvsStartOS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| LXD | StartOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 | 61/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 15 in Virtualization | #5 of 22 in Home Server |
| GitHub stars | 4 841 | 1 994 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +10 | +9 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 | 23 |
| Latest release | lxd-6.10.0 · 17 Oct 2026 | start-os/v0.4.0.4 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
LXD scores 70/100 against 61/100 for StartOS, so it is the safer default.
StartOS ships more often: 23 stable releases in the past year, against 18 for LXD.
If you want the quickest setup, LXD is easier to run; StartOS needs more configuration.
LXD details →StartOS details →
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