# MeshCentral vs Shields

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

| | MeshCentral | Shields |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 74/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 23 in Remote Access | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 7 539 | 27 333 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +256 ✓ | +127 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 1.3.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Easy | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Shields scores 80/100 against 74/100 for MeshCentral, so it is the safer default.

MeshCentral ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.

MeshCentral is growing faster right now (+256 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [MeshCentral](https://selfhost.directory/project/meshcentral) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/meshcentral.md)
- [Shields](https://selfhost.directory/project/shields) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shields.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/meshcentral-vs-shields