Discourse vs Smithereen
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
Smithereen
Federated social network with a familiar layout
| Feature | Discourse | Smithereen |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 47,619 | ★ 547 |
| First released | 2013 | 2020 |
| Replaces | phpBB, Reddit | Facebook, VK |
Why pick each one
Choose Smithereen if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Discourse or Smithereen 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 Smithereen free and open-source?
Yes. Discourse is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Smithereen under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Discourse and Smithereen with Docker?
Discourse: yes. Smithereen: yes.