# Owncast vs Photon

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

| | Owncast | Photon |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 ✓ | 54/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 4 in Live Streaming | #16 of 85 in Feed Reader |
| GitHub stars | 11 632 ✓ | 557 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +76 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 9 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.3.0 · 2 Sept 2026 ✓ | v2.4.3 · 30 Jul 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | Svelte |

## Which one should you pick?

Owncast scores 73/100 against 54/100 for Photon, so it is the safer default.

Photon ships more often: 9 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Owncast.

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

Owncast is growing faster right now (+76 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Owncast](https://selfhost.directory/project/owncast) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/owncast.md)
- [Photon](https://selfhost.directory/project/photon-2) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/photon-2.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/owncast-vs-photon-2