# Answer vs marchat

> 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 | 15 702 ✓ | 139 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +20 | — |
| 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 (+20 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Answer](https://selfhost.directory/project/answer) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/answer.md)
- [marchat](https://selfhost.directory/project/marchat) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/marchat.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/answer-vs-marchat