Asterisk
Easy to use but advanced IP PBX system, VoIP gateway and conference server.
Asterisk vs Kamailio
Two self-hosted Communication - SIP apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Asterisk | Kamailio | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Easy to use but advanced IP PBX system, VoIP gateway and conference server. | Modular SIP server (registrar/proxy/router/etc). |
| GitHub stars | 3,669 | 2,992 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 293 | 2k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-05 |
| Latest release | 24.0.0-rc4 (2026-10-29) | 6.1.5 (2026-10-15) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language / platform | C, deb | C, deb |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $3.5/mo | $3.5/mo |
| Categories | Communication - SIP | Communication - SIP |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Asterisk is more popular on GitHub: 3.7k stars vs 3k for Kamailio.
- Kamailio had more commits in the last 12 months (1,990 vs 293).
- Asterisk published a release more recently (24.0.0-rc4 on 2026-10-29; Kamailio's latest is 6.1.5 on 2026-10-15).
- Both are licensed under GPL-2.0.
- Both are written in C.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Asterisk: deb; Kamailio: deb.
Summary: Asterisk leads on GitHub popularity; Kamailio leads on commit activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is Asterisk or Kamailio more popular?
Asterisk has more GitHub stars (3,669 vs 2,992 for Kamailio, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Asterisk or Kamailio?
Kamailio had more commits over the last 12 months (1,990 vs 293). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-04 for Asterisk and 2026-11-05 for Kamailio. Our health labels: Asterisk is “Active”, Kamailio is “Active”.
What licenses do Asterisk and Kamailio use?
Both use GPL-2.0.
Can I run Asterisk and Kamailio with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Kamailio
Modular SIP server (registrar/proxy/router/etc).
Browse all self-hosted Communication - SIP apps.