DiscoursevsSpacebar
Two self-hosted Discord alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Discourse | Spacebar | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 56/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #30 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 48 024 | 2 211 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +135 | +15 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 0 |
| Latest release | _gh-attach-assets · 15 Jul 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| 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 56/100 for Spacebar, so it is the safer default.
Discourse ships more often: 1 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Spacebar.
If you want the quickest setup, Discourse is easier to run; Spacebar needs more configuration.
Discourse is growing faster right now (+135 stars in 30 days).
Discourse details →Spacebar details → All Discord alternatives →
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