# DerbyNet vs Discourse

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

| | DerbyNet | Discourse |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 49/100 | 83/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #4 of 6 in Community | #1 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 162 | 48 024 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +135 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 1 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | _gh-attach-assets · 15 Jul 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-2.0 |
| Main language | PHP | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

Discourse scores 83/100 against 49/100 for DerbyNet, so it is the safer default.

Discourse ships more often: 1 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for DerbyNet.

Discourse is growing faster right now (+135 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [DerbyNet](https://selfhost.directory/project/derbynet) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/derbynet.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)

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