# Mainsail vs Thingsboard

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

| | Mainsail | Thingsboard |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 65/100 | 76/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 22 in 3D Printing | #1 of 10 in IoT |
| GitHub stars | 2 236 | 22 615 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +20 | +145 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 8 | 24 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.19.0 · 27 Aug 2026 | v4.3.1.8 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | Vue | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

Thingsboard scores 76/100 against 65/100 for Mainsail, so it is the safer default.

Thingsboard ships more often: 24 stable releases in the past year, against 8 for Mainsail.

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

Thingsboard is growing faster right now (+145 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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