Answervsmarchat
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Answer | marchat | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 49/100 |
| Rank in category | #5 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #51 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 15 701 | 139 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +19 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 12 |
| Latest release | v2.0.3 · 22 Sept 2026 | v1.3.8 · 1 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Answer scores 71/100 against 49/100 for marchat, so it is the safer default.
marchat ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Answer.
If you want the quickest setup, Answer is easier to run; marchat needs more configuration.
Answer is growing faster right now (+19 stars in 30 days).
Answer details →marchat details →