# Apache SkyWalking vs unleash

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

| | Apache SkyWalking | unleash |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 ✓ | 75/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 9 in Application Performance Monitoring | #1 of 8 in Feature Flags |
| GitHub stars | 24 977 ✓ | 13 912 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +3 | +86 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 15 ✓ |
| Latest release | v11.0.0 · 28 Aug 2026 | v8.3.0 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Java | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Apache SkyWalking scores 76/100 against 75/100 for unleash, so it is the safer default.

unleash ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Apache SkyWalking.

If you want the quickest setup, unleash is easier to run; Apache SkyWalking needs more configuration.

unleash is growing faster right now (+86 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Apache SkyWalking](https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/skywalking.md)
- [unleash](https://selfhost.directory/project/unleash) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/unleash.md)

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