checkmatevsNodeBB
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| checkmate | NodeBB | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #15 of 104 in Monitoring & observability | #4 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 11 007 | 15 243 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +124 | +18 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 31 |
| Latest release | v3.13.1 · 22 Oct 2026 | v4.16.5 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
NodeBB scores 73/100 against 72/100 for checkmate, so it is the safer default.
NodeBB ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for checkmate.
If you want the quickest setup, checkmate is easier to run; NodeBB needs more configuration.
checkmate is growing faster right now (+124 stars in 30 days).
checkmate details →NodeBB details →
Swap a project
Keep checkmate, compare it with
Keep NodeBB, compare it with