# MCSManager vs Pterodactyl

> Two self-hosted [Game Servers projects](https://selfhost.directory/game-servers), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | MCSManager | Pterodactyl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 68/100 | 75/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #8 of 62 in Game Servers | #5 of 62 in Game Servers |
| GitHub stars | 5 004 | 9 437 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +34 | +183 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 20 ✓ | 11 |
| Latest release | v10.22.0 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ | v1.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

Pterodactyl scores 75/100 against 68/100 for MCSManager, so it is the safer default.

MCSManager ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for Pterodactyl.

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

Pterodactyl is growing faster right now (+183 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [MCSManager](https://selfhost.directory/project/mcsmanager) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mcsmanager.md)
- [Pterodactyl](https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mcsmanager-vs-pterodactyl