rustdeskvsWhirl
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| rustdesk | Whirl | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 92/100 | 52/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 22 in Remote Desktop | #23 of 69 in AI Chat |
| GitHub stars | 127 449 | 510 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +2 977 | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 0 |
| Latest release | 1.5.0 · 25 Sept 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Rust | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
rustdesk scores 92/100 against 52/100 for Whirl, so it is the safer default.
rustdesk ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Whirl.
If you want the quickest setup, rustdesk is easier to run; Whirl needs more configuration.
rustdesk is growing faster right now (+2 977 stars in 30 days).
rustdesk details →Whirl details →
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