openpencilvsSyslog-ng
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| openpencil | Syslog-ng | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 66/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 7 in Design | #3 of 8 in Logging |
| GitHub stars | 9 428 | 2 386 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +827 | +10 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 2 |
| Latest release | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 | syslog-ng-4.12.0 · 16 Jun 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | C |
Which one should you pick?
openpencil scores 73/100 against 66/100 for Syslog-ng, so it is the safer default.
openpencil ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for Syslog-ng.
If you want the quickest setup, openpencil is easier to run; Syslog-ng needs more configuration.
openpencil is growing faster right now (+827 stars in 30 days).
openpencil details →Syslog-ng details →
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