# Orca vs Understudy

> Two self-hosted [AI Agents projects](https://selfhost.directory/ai-agents), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Orca | Understudy |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 91/100 ✓ | 48/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 209 in AI Agents | #110 of 209 in AI Agents |
| GitHub stars | 108 898 ✓ | 465 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +8 991 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v1.4.243 · 28 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Orca scores 91/100 against 48/100 for Understudy, so it is the safer default.

Orca ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Understudy.

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

Orca is growing faster right now (+8 991 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Orca](https://selfhost.directory/project/orca) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/orca.md)
- [Understudy](https://selfhost.directory/project/understudy) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/understudy.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/orca-vs-understudy