# openpencil vs Shields

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

| | openpencil | Shields |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 7 in Design | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 9 424 | 27 331 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +823 ✓ | +125 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Easy |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Shields scores 80/100 against 73/100 for openpencil, so it is the safer default.

openpencil ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.

openpencil is growing faster right now (+823 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [openpencil](https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil.md)
- [Shields](https://selfhost.directory/project/shields) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shields.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/openpencil-vs-shields