Campfire vs Vanilla Forums
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | Campfire | Vanilla Forums |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | free | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,471 | ★ 2,800 |
| First released | 2022 | 2009 |
| Replaces | — | phpBB, Discourse |
Why pick each one
Choose Campfire if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Active community (4.5k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Campfire or Vanilla Forums better?
Campfire is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Vanilla Forums if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Campfire and Vanilla Forums free and open-source?
Yes. Campfire is licensed under free and Vanilla Forums under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Campfire and Vanilla Forums with Docker?
Campfire: yes. Vanilla Forums: yes.