OwncastvsSimpleX Chat
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Owncast | SimpleX Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 74/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 4 in Live Streaming | #4 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 11 631 | 19 612 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +78 | +142 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 12 |
| Latest release | v0.3.0 · 2 Sept 2026 | v7.0.4 · 3 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | Haskell |
Which one should you pick?
SimpleX Chat scores 74/100 against 73/100 for Owncast, so it is the safer default.
SimpleX Chat ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Owncast.
If you want the quickest setup, Owncast is easier to run; SimpleX Chat needs more configuration.
Owncast details →SimpleX Chat details →