# Retrom vs Whirl

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

| | Retrom | Whirl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 58/100 ✓ | 52/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 5 in Emulation | #23 of 69 in AI Chat |
| GitHub stars | 2 100 ✓ | 510 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +28 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 10 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v0.8.4 · 14 Jun 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Retrom scores 58/100 against 52/100 for Whirl, so it is the safer default.

Retrom ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Whirl.

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

Retrom is growing faster right now (+28 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Retrom](https://selfhost.directory/project/retrom) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/retrom.md)
- [Whirl](https://selfhost.directory/project/whirl) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/whirl.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/retrom-vs-whirl