# Calibre vs Discourse

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Calibre | Discourse |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 83/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 19 in Ebook Management | #1 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 26 270 | 48 025 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +271 ✓ | +136 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 ✓ | 1 |
| Latest release | v9.17.0 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ | _gh-attach-assets · 15 Jul 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Main language | Python | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

Calibre and Discourse score the same (83/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.

Calibre ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for Discourse.

If you want the quickest setup, Calibre is easier to run; Discourse needs more configuration.

## Details

- [Calibre](https://selfhost.directory/project/calibre) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/calibre.md)
- [Discourse](https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Discourse vs Rocket.Chat](https://selfhost.directory/compare/discourse-vs-rocketchat)
- [Discourse vs Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/compare/discourse-vs-zulip)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/calibre-vs-discourse