# LXD vs Stirling-PDF

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

| | LXD | Stirling-PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 | 87/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 15 in Virtualization | #1 of 46 in Document Management |
| GitHub stars | 4 844 | 95 260 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +13 | +2 347 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 19 | 25 ✓ |
| Latest release | lxd-6.10.1 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ | v3.2.2 · 24 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Stirling-PDF scores 87/100 against 70/100 for LXD, so it is the safer default.

Stirling-PDF ships more often: 25 stable releases in the past year, against 19 for LXD.

If you want the quickest setup, LXD is easier to run; Stirling-PDF needs more configuration.

Stirling-PDF is growing faster right now (+2 347 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [LXD](https://selfhost.directory/project/lxd) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/lxd.md)
- [Stirling-PDF](https://selfhost.directory/project/stirling-pdf) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/stirling-pdf.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/lxd-vs-stirling-pdf