# openpencil vs Technitium DNS Server

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

| | openpencil | Technitium DNS Server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 77/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 7 in Design | #3 of 41 in DNS |
| GitHub stars | 9 428 | 10 251 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +827 ✓ | +263 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 11 |
| Latest release | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 | v15.6.2 · 17 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Easy |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | C |

## Which one should you pick?

Technitium DNS Server scores 77/100 against 73/100 for openpencil, so it is the safer default.

openpencil ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for Technitium DNS Server.

openpencil is growing faster right now (+827 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [openpencil](https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil.md)
- [Technitium DNS Server](https://selfhost.directory/project/technitium-dns-server) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/technitium-dns-server.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/openpencil-vs-technitium-dns-server