# nginx-ui vs Pterodactyl

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

| | nginx-ui | Pterodactyl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 74/100 | 75/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 12 in Web Servers | #5 of 62 in Game Servers |
| GitHub stars | 11 680 ✓ | 9 438 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +143 | +184 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 37 ✓ | 11 |
| Latest release | v2.9.1 · 22 Oct 2026 ✓ | v1.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Other |
| Main language | Go | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

Pterodactyl scores 75/100 against 74/100 for nginx-ui, so it is the safer default.

nginx-ui ships more often: 37 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for Pterodactyl.

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

## Details

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

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/nginx-ui-vs-pterodactyl