# LXD vs Unison

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

| | LXD | Unison |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 ✓ | 65/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 15 in Virtualization | #2 of 15 in File Sync |
| GitHub stars | 4 844 | 5 559 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +13 | +65 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 19 ✓ | 2 |
| Latest release | lxd-6.10.1 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.54.0 · 1 May 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | OCaml |

## Which one should you pick?

LXD scores 70/100 against 65/100 for Unison, so it is the safer default.

LXD ships more often: 19 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for Unison.

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

Unison is growing faster right now (+65 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [LXD](https://selfhost.directory/project/lxd) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/lxd.md)
- [Unison](https://selfhost.directory/project/unison) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/unison.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/lxd-vs-unison