# Mastodon vs Semaphore UI

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

| | Mastodon | Semaphore UI |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #12 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 50 459 ✓ | 14 337 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +139 | +149 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 42 ✓ | 20 |
| Latest release | v4.4.27 · 29 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.18.31 · 7 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Ruby | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Mastodon scores 82/100 against 73/100 for Semaphore UI, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 42 stable releases in the past year, against 20 for Semaphore UI.

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

## Details

- [Mastodon](https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon.md)
- [Semaphore UI](https://selfhost.directory/project/semaphore-ui) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/semaphore-ui.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mastodon-vs-semaphore-ui