# Shlink vs WriteFreely

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

| | Shlink | WriteFreely |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 ✓ | 65/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 23 in URL Shortener | #2 of 24 in Blogging |
| GitHub stars | 5 383 ✓ | 5 276 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +80 ✓ | +19 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v5.1.8 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | v0.17.2 · 10 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | PHP | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Shlink scores 70/100 against 65/100 for WriteFreely, so it is the safer default.

Shlink ships more often: 13 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for WriteFreely.

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

Shlink is growing faster right now (+80 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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