Schnack 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?
Schnack
Lightweight self-hosted commenting system
VS
Tildes
Non-profit community discussion platform
| Feature | Schnack | Tildes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Forums & Community | Forums & Community |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,812 | ★ 1,000 |
| First released | 2018 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Disqus, Facebook Comments |
Why pick each one
Choose Schnack if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Tildes if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Schnack or Tildes better?
Schnack is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Tildes if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Schnack and Tildes free and open-source?
Yes. Schnack is licensed under MIT and Tildes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Schnack and Tildes with Docker?
Schnack: check the project docs for container support. Tildes: check the project docs for container support.