Owncastvssms
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Owncast | sms | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 48/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 4 in Live Streaming | #11 of 12 in Maps |
| GitHub stars | 11 632 | 269 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +76 | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 5 |
| Latest release | v0.3.0 · 2 Sept 2026 | 8.0.0 · 8 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Python |
Which one should you pick?
Owncast scores 73/100 against 48/100 for sms, so it is the safer default.
sms ships more often: 5 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Owncast.
If you want the quickest setup, Owncast is easier to run; sms needs more configuration.
Owncast is growing faster right now (+76 stars in 30 days).
Owncast details →sms details →