# Mastodon vs scalar

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

| | Mastodon | scalar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #3 of 13 in API |
| GitHub stars | 50 459 ✓ | 16 337 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +139 | +148 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 42 | 46 ✓ |
| Latest release | v4.4.27 · 29 Oct 2026 ✓ | release-2026-10-28-0d01943 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Ruby | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

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

scalar ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 42 for Mastodon.

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

## Details

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

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