# Discourse vs Spacebar

> Two self-hosted [Discord alternatives](https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/discord), 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 ✓ | 2 210 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +135 ✓ | +14 |
| 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).

## Details

- [Discourse](https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse.md)
- [Spacebar](https://selfhost.directory/project/spacebar) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/spacebar.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-spacebar