# Shields vs SimpleX Chat

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

| | Shields | SimpleX Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 74/100 |
| Rank in category | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools | #4 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 27 331 ✓ | 19 614 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +125 | +141 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 12 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v7.0.4 · 3 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Haskell |

## Which one should you pick?

Shields scores 80/100 against 74/100 for SimpleX Chat, so it is the safer default.

SimpleX Chat ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.

If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; SimpleX Chat needs more configuration.

## Details

- [Shields](https://selfhost.directory/project/shields) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shields.md)
- [SimpleX Chat](https://selfhost.directory/project/simplex-chat) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/simplex-chat.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/shields-vs-simplex-chat