# checkmate vs NodeBB

> 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).

## Details

- [checkmate](https://selfhost.directory/project/checkmate) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/checkmate.md)
- [NodeBB](https://selfhost.directory/project/nodebb) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nodebb.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/checkmate-vs-nodebb