# mbusd vs Apache SkyWalking

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

| | mbusd | Apache SkyWalking |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 52/100 | 76/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 4 in Industrial IoT | #2 of 9 in Application Performance Monitoring |
| GitHub stars | 685 | 24 978 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 | +4 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 3 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.5.3 · 7 Apr 2026 | v11.0.0 · 28 Aug 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | C | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

Apache SkyWalking scores 76/100 against 52/100 for mbusd, so it is the safer default.

Apache SkyWalking ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for mbusd.

If you want the quickest setup, mbusd is easier to run; Apache SkyWalking needs more configuration.

Apache SkyWalking is growing faster right now (+4 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [mbusd](https://selfhost.directory/project/mbusd) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mbusd.md)
- [Apache SkyWalking](https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mbusd-vs-skywalking