Askbot vs Shapado
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted forums & community options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Askbot | Shapado |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 13 · At risk |
| Category | Forums & Community | Forums & Community |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,566 | ★ 527 |
| First released | 2009 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Stack Overflow | Stack Overflow, Quora |
What are Askbot and Shapado?
Askbot
Askbot is an open-source question-and-answer forum platform built with Django, inspired by StackOverflow and Yahoo Answers. It supports tags, voting, reputation, and badges.
- StackOverflow-style Q&A
- Tag-based organization
- Reputation and badges
- Email notifications
Shapado
Shapado is an open-source Q&A software written in Ruby that allows hosting multiple question-and-answer communities. It supports tags, voting, and badges in a StackOverflow-like format.
- Multi-community Q&A hosting
- Voting and reputation
- Tag-based browsing
- Badges and gamification
Askbot vs Shapado: key differences
Askbot is written in Python, while Shapado is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Askbot versus AGPL-3.0 for Shapado. Askbot has the considerably larger community, at 1,566 GitHub stars versus 527. Askbot lists first-class Docker deployment; Shapado does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Askbot if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Slower development
Choose Shapado if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Ruby
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Project is dormant
- Outdated Ruby stack
Frequently asked questions
Is Askbot or Shapado better?
Askbot is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Shapado if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Askbot and Shapado free and open-source?
Yes. Askbot is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Shapado under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Askbot and Shapado with Docker?
Askbot: yes. Shapado: check the project docs for container support.