Discourse vs Elgg
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?
Discourse
Modern open-source community discussion platform
VS
Elgg
Framework for building social networks
| Feature | Discourse | Elgg |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 47,619 | ★ 1,680 |
| First released | 2013 | 2004 |
| Replaces | phpBB, Reddit | Facebook Groups, Yammer |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Discourse or Elgg better?
Neither is universally better. Discourse has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Discourse and Elgg free and open-source?
Yes. Discourse is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Elgg under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Discourse and Elgg with Docker?
Discourse: yes. Elgg: yes.