# Mastodon vs Novu

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

| | Mastodon | Novu |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #2 of 19 in Notifications |
| GitHub stars | 50 456 ✓ | 40 220 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +136 | +160 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 38 ✓ | 12 |
| Latest release | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 ✓ | @novu/framework@v2.14.0 · 28 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | Ruby | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Mastodon scores 82/100 against 76/100 for Novu, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for Novu.

## Details

- [Mastodon](https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon.md)
- [Novu](https://selfhost.directory/project/novu) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/novu.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mastodon-vs-novu