# PixelFed vs Pulse

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

| | PixelFed | Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 64/100 | 71/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #11 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #2 of 19 in Infrastructure Monitoring |
| GitHub stars | 7 131 ✓ | 6 975 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +24 | +234 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 43 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 | helm-chart-6.6.0 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | PHP | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Pulse scores 71/100 against 64/100 for PixelFed, so it is the safer default.

Pulse ships more often: 43 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for PixelFed.

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

Pulse is growing faster right now (+234 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [PixelFed](https://selfhost.directory/project/pixelfed) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pixelfed.md)
- [Pulse](https://selfhost.directory/project/pulse) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pulse.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/pixelfed-vs-pulse