YAF.NET vs Tildes
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?
| Feature | YAF.NET | Tildes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Forums & Community | Forums & Community |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C# | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 548 | ★ 1,000 |
| First released | 2006 | 2018 |
| Replaces | phpBB, vBulletin |
Why pick each one
Choose YAF.NET if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C#
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Tildes if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is YAF.NET or Tildes better?
Neither is universally better. Tildes has the larger community, while YAF.NET is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are YAF.NET and Tildes free and open-source?
Yes. YAF.NET is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tildes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run YAF.NET and Tildes with Docker?
YAF.NET: yes. Tildes: check the project docs for container support.