Discourse vs Zap
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
Zap
Decentralized social network with nomadic identity
| Feature | Discourse | Zap |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 47,619 | ★ 50 |
| First released | 2013 | 2018 |
| Replaces | phpBB, Reddit | Facebook, Twitter |
Why pick each one
Choose Zap if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Discourse or Zap better?
Discourse is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Zap if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Discourse and Zap free and open-source?
Yes. Discourse is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Zap under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Discourse and Zap with Docker?
Discourse: yes. Zap: check the project docs for container support.