Fider vs Forem
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted forums & community options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Fider
Open platform for collecting and voting on feedback
VS
Forem
Open source community platform behind DEV
| Feature | Fider | Forem |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Forums & Community | Forums & Community |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,458 | ★ 22,760 |
| First released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Canny, UserVoice | Discourse, Reddit |
Why pick each one
Choose Fider if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.5k GitHub stars)
Choose Forem if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 22.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Ruby
Frequently asked questions
Is Fider or Forem better?
Neither is universally better. Forem has the larger community, while Fider is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Fider and Forem free and open-source?
Yes. Fider is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Forem under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fider and Forem with Docker?
Fider: yes. Forem: yes.