# Mainsail vs PixelFed

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

| | Mainsail | PixelFed |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 65/100 ✓ | 64/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 22 in 3D Printing | #12 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 2 236 | 7 131 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 | +24 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 8 | 15 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.19.0 · 27 Aug 2026 | v0.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Vue | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

Mainsail scores 65/100 against 64/100 for PixelFed, so it is the safer default.

PixelFed ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 8 for Mainsail.

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

## Details

- [Mainsail](https://selfhost.directory/project/mainsail) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mainsail.md)
- [PixelFed](https://selfhost.directory/project/pixelfed) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pixelfed.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mainsail-vs-pixelfed