Discourse vs Snikket
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
Snikket
Easy self-hosted XMPP chat for groups
| Feature | Discourse | Snikket |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Lua |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 47,619 | ★ 437 |
| First released | 2013 | 2020 |
| Replaces | phpBB, Reddit | WhatsApp, Signal |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Discourse or Snikket better?
Neither is universally better. Discourse has the larger community, while Snikket is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Discourse and Snikket free and open-source?
Yes. Discourse is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Snikket under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Discourse and Snikket with Docker?
Discourse: yes. Snikket: yes.