# Open Home Foundation Matter Server vs Shields

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

| | Open Home Foundation Matter Server | Shields |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 56/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #42 of 104 in Home Automation | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 402 | 27 331 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +125 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v1.5.5 · 24 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Shields scores 80/100 against 56/100 for Open Home Foundation Matter Server, so it is the safer default.

Open Home Foundation Matter Server ships more often: 6 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.

If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; Open Home Foundation Matter Server needs more configuration.

Shields is growing faster right now (+125 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Open Home Foundation Matter Server](https://selfhost.directory/project/matterjs-server) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/matterjs-server.md)
- [Shields](https://selfhost.directory/project/shields) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shields.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/matterjs-server-vs-shields