Pterodactyl
Management panel for game servers, with an intuitive UI for end users.
Pterodactyl vs Sunshine
Two self-hosted Games - Administrative Utilities & Control Panels apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Pterodactyl | Sunshine | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Management panel for game servers, with an intuitive UI for end users. | Remote game stream host for Moonlight with support up to 120 frames per second and 4K resolution. |
| GitHub stars | 9,468 | 43,018 |
| Forks | – | 2.4k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | – | 182 |
| Commits (12 months) | 94 | 858 |
| Last activity | 2026-10-21 | 2026-11-05 |
| Latest release | v1.15.2 (2026-10-21) | v2026.1103.235308 (2026-11-04) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language / platform | PHP | C++, deb, Docker |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $5/mo | $3.5/mo |
| Categories | Games - Administrative Utilities & Control Panels | Games - Administrative Utilities & Control Panels |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Sunshine is more popular on GitHub: 43k stars vs 9.5k for Pterodactyl.
- Sunshine had more commits in the last 12 months (858 vs 94).
- Sunshine has more recent repository activity (2026-11-05 vs 2026-10-21).
- Sunshine published a release more recently (v2026.1103.235308 on 2026-11-04; Pterodactyl's latest is v1.15.2 on 2026-10-21).
- Pterodactyl is licensed under MIT, Sunshine under GPL-3.0. Pterodactyl's license is permissive; Sunshine's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
- Pterodactyl is written in PHP; Sunshine in C++.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Pterodactyl: none listed; Sunshine: deb, Docker.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for Sunshine (~512 MB server) than Pterodactyl (~1 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: Sunshine leads on GitHub popularity, commit activity and recent 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 Pterodactyl or Sunshine more popular?
Sunshine has more GitHub stars (43,018 vs 9,468 for Pterodactyl, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Pterodactyl or Sunshine?
Sunshine had more commits over the last 12 months (858 vs 94). The last recorded activity was 2026-10-21 for Pterodactyl and 2026-11-05 for Sunshine. Our health labels: Pterodactyl is “Active”, Sunshine is “Active”.
What licenses do Pterodactyl and Sunshine use?
Pterodactyl: MIT. Sunshine: GPL-3.0. Pterodactyl's license is permissive; Sunshine's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
Can I run Pterodactyl and Sunshine with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Sunshine. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Sunshine
Remote game stream host for Moonlight with support up to 120 frames per second and 4K resolution.
Browse all self-hosted Games - Administrative Utilities & Control Panels apps.