# Mastodon vs Zealot

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

| | Mastodon | Zealot |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 55/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #17 of 28 in CI/CD |
| GitHub stars | 50 457 ✓ | 1 366 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +138 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 38 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 ✓ | 6.2.2 · 25 Jul 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Ruby | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

Mastodon scores 82/100 against 55/100 for Zealot, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Zealot.

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

Mastodon is growing faster right now (+138 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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