MainsailvsShields
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Mainsail | Shields | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 65/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 22 in 3D Printing | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 2 236 | 27 331 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 | +125 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 8 | 0 |
| Latest release | v2.19.0 · 27 Aug 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Vue | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Shields scores 80/100 against 65/100 for Mainsail, so it is the safer default.
Mainsail ships more often: 8 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.
If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; Mainsail needs more configuration.
Shields is growing faster right now (+125 stars in 30 days).
Mainsail details →Shields details →