# Discourse vs Element

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

| | Discourse | Element |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #2 of 13 in Instant Messaging |
| GitHub stars | 48 024 ✓ | 13 621 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +135 ✓ | +119 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 18 ✓ |
| Latest release | _gh-attach-assets · 15 Jul 2026 | v1.12.33 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Ruby | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Discourse scores 83/100 against 76/100 for Element, so it is the safer default.

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

## Details

- [Discourse](https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse.md)
- [Element](https://selfhost.directory/project/element) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/element.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/discourse-vs-element