SMF vs Misago
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | SMF | Misago |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Forums & Community | Social Networks |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 745 | ★ 2,774 |
| First released | 2004 | 2016 |
| Replaces | vBulletin, phpBB | phpBB, Discourse |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is SMF or Misago better?
Neither is universally better. Misago has the larger community, while SMF is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are SMF and Misago free and open-source?
Yes. SMF is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Misago under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SMF and Misago with Docker?
SMF: yes. Misago: yes.