# rustdesk vs youtube-dl-server

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

| | rustdesk | youtube-dl-server |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 92/100 ✓ | 47/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 22 in Remote Desktop | #31 of 45 in Download Management |
| GitHub stars | 127 457 ✓ | 319 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +2 985 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 1.5.0 · 25 Sept 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Rust | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

rustdesk scores 92/100 against 47/100 for youtube-dl-server, so it is the safer default.

rustdesk ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for youtube-dl-server.

If you want the quickest setup, youtube-dl-server is easier to run; rustdesk needs more configuration.

rustdesk is growing faster right now (+2 985 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [rustdesk](https://selfhost.directory/project/rustdesk) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/rustdesk.md)
- [youtube-dl-server](https://selfhost.directory/project/youtube-dl-server) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/youtube-dl-server.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/rustdesk-vs-youtube-dl-server