# Mastodon vs Orca

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

| | Mastodon | Orca |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 91/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #1 of 209 in AI Agents |
| GitHub stars | 50 457 | 108 815 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +138 | +8 908 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 38 ✓ | 15 |
| Latest release | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 | v1.4.243 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Ruby | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Orca scores 91/100 against 82/100 for Mastodon, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for Orca.

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

Orca is growing faster right now (+8 908 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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