# Node RED vs scalar

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

| | Node RED | scalar |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 26 in Automation | #3 of 13 in API |
| GitHub stars | 23 791 ✓ | 16 336 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +106 | +147 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 | 46 ✓ |
| Latest release | 4.1.17 · 21 Oct 2026 | release-2026-10-28-0d01943 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | JavaScript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Node RED scores 81/100 against 76/100 for scalar, so it is the safer default.

scalar ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 21 for Node RED.

## Details

- [Node RED](https://selfhost.directory/project/node-red) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/node-red.md)
- [scalar](https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/node-red-vs-scalar