# MacOS vs Syncthing

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

| | MacOS | Syncthing |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 90/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 15 in Virtualization | #1 of 15 in File Sync |
| GitHub stars | 21 690 | 89 839 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +116 | +957 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 ✓ | 8 |
| Latest release | v3.12 · 21 Aug 2026 | v2.1.7 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Main language | Shell | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Syncthing scores 90/100 against 76/100 for MacOS, so it is the safer default.

MacOS ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 8 for Syncthing.

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

Syncthing is growing faster right now (+957 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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