# Shlink vs unleash

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

| | Shlink | unleash |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 | 75/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 23 in URL Shortener | #1 of 8 in Feature Flags |
| GitHub stars | 5 379 | 13 912 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +76 | +86 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 | 15 ✓ |
| Latest release | v5.1.8 · 21 Oct 2026 | v8.3.0 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | PHP | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

unleash scores 75/100 against 70/100 for Shlink, so it is the safer default.

unleash ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 13 for Shlink.

## Details

- [Shlink](https://selfhost.directory/project/shlink) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shlink.md)
- [unleash](https://selfhost.directory/project/unleash) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/unleash.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/shlink-vs-unleash