# Novu vs Portainer

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

| | Novu | Portainer |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 77/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 19 in Notifications | #1 of 44 in Container Management |
| GitHub stars | 40 219 ✓ | 38 737 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +170 | +188 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 | 21 ✓ |
| Latest release | @novu/framework@v2.14.0 · 28 Sept 2026 | 2.45.3 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Zlib |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Portainer scores 77/100 against 76/100 for Novu, so it is the safer default.

Portainer ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for Novu.

If you want the quickest setup, Portainer is easier to run; Novu needs more configuration.

## Details

- [Novu](https://selfhost.directory/project/novu) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/novu.md)
- [Portainer](https://selfhost.directory/project/portainer) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/portainer.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/novu-vs-portainer