NATSvsPixelFed
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| NATS | PixelFed | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 64/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Message Broker | #12 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 20 956 | 7 131 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +191 | +24 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 | 15 |
| Latest release | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 | v0.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | PHP |
Which one should you pick?
NATS scores 80/100 against 64/100 for PixelFed, so it is the safer default.
NATS ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for PixelFed.
If you want the quickest setup, NATS is easier to run; PixelFed needs more configuration.
NATS is growing faster right now (+191 stars in 30 days).
NATS details →PixelFed details →
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