# searcharr vs setup-ipsec-vpn

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

| | searcharr | setup-ipsec-vpn |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 49/100 | 78/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #51 of 110 in Chat | #3 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 304 | 28 888 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +322 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v3.4.0 · 8 Apr 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Python | Shell |

## Which one should you pick?

setup-ipsec-vpn scores 78/100 against 49/100 for searcharr, so it is the safer default.

searcharr ships more often: 1 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for setup-ipsec-vpn.

If you want the quickest setup, setup-ipsec-vpn is easier to run; searcharr needs more configuration.

setup-ipsec-vpn is growing faster right now (+322 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [searcharr](https://selfhost.directory/project/searcharr) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/searcharr.md)
- [setup-ipsec-vpn](https://selfhost.directory/project/setup-ipsec-vpn) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/setup-ipsec-vpn.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/searcharr-vs-setup-ipsec-vpn