# MacOS vs StartOS

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

| | MacOS | StartOS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 ✓ | 61/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 15 in Virtualization | #5 of 22 in Home Server |
| GitHub stars | 21 689 ✓ | 1 994 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +115 ✓ | +9 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 | 23 ✓ |
| Latest release | v3.12 · 21 Aug 2026 | start-os/v0.4.0.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Shell | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

MacOS scores 76/100 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 MacOS.

MacOS is growing faster right now (+115 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [MacOS](https://selfhost.directory/project/macos) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/macos.md)
- [StartOS](https://selfhost.directory/project/startos) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/startos.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/macos-vs-startos