# Shields vs Snapcast

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

| | Shields | Snapcast |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 72/100 |
| Rank in category | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools | #1 of 14 in Audio Streaming |
| GitHub stars | 27 331 ✓ | 8 039 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +125 | +149 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 1 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v0.35.0 · 10 Mar 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | C |

## Which one should you pick?

Shields scores 80/100 against 72/100 for Snapcast, so it is the safer default.

Snapcast ships more often: 1 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.

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

## Details

- [Shields](https://selfhost.directory/project/shields) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shields.md)
- [Snapcast](https://selfhost.directory/project/snapcast) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/snapcast.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/shields-vs-snapcast