penpotvsShields
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| penpot | Shields | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 30 in Collaboration | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 61 819 | 27 331 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 477 | +125 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 | 0 |
| Latest release | 2.18.5 · 26 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Clojure | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
penpot scores 84/100 against 80/100 for Shields, so it is the safer default.
penpot ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.
If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; penpot needs more configuration.
penpot is growing faster right now (+1 477 stars in 30 days).
penpot details →Shields details →
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