NATSvsOwncast
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| NATS | Owncast | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Message Broker | #1 of 4 in Live Streaming |
| GitHub stars | 20 956 | 11 632 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +191 | +76 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 | 3 |
| Latest release | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 | v0.3.0 · 2 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Go |
Which one should you pick?
NATS scores 80/100 against 73/100 for Owncast, so it is the safer default.
NATS ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Owncast.
If you want the quickest setup, Owncast is easier to run; NATS needs more configuration.
NATS is growing faster right now (+191 stars in 30 days).
NATS details →Owncast details →
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