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Discourse vs Flarum

Learn how Discourse and Flarum differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these community building platforms is best for you.

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Favicon of Discourse

Discourse

A powerful, customizable platform for building and managing online forums, fostering engaging discussions and collaborative spaces.
  • Stars


    46,934
  • Forks


    8,898
  • Last commit


    10 minutes ago
  • Repository age


    13 years
  • License


    GPL-2.0
  • Self-hosted


    Yes
View Repository

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Screenshot of Discourse
Favicon of Flarum

Flarum

Lightweight, extensible forum platform with a sleek interface, powerful moderation tools, and seamless integration capabilities.
  • Stars


    16,260
  • Forks


    1,674
  • Last commit


    12 days ago
  • Repository age


    11 years
  • License


    MIT
  • Self-hosted


    Yes
View Repository

Auto-fetched .

Screenshot of Flarum

Detailed Comparison

Both Discourse and Flarum have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Discourse wins
Community & Popularity

Discourse leads in popularity with 46,934 stars vs 16,260 stars for Flarum. The 189% higher star count indicates stronger community adoption. In terms of developer contributions, Discourse has 8,898 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable
Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Discourse last updated 10 minutes ago and Flarum 12 days ago.

Comparable
Technology Stack

Discourse uses JavaScript, CSS, Typescript, SCSS, Ruby while Flarum leverages PHP.

Discourse wins
Project Maturity

Discourse has been in development longer, starting 13 years ago, compared to Flarum which began 11 years ago. This 2.0-year head start suggests Discourse may have more mature features and established processes.

Flarum wins
Licensing

Flarum uses the MIT license, which is more permissive than Discourse's GPL-2.0 license, potentially offering greater flexibility for commercial use and integration.

Comparable
Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Community Building Platforms, Forum Software.

Comparable
Hosting & Deployment

Both Discourse and Flarum offer self-hosting capabilities, giving you full control over your data and infrastructure.