# Discourse vs Workout.cool

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

| | Discourse | Workout.cool |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 66/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #2 of 11 in Fitness Tracker |
| GitHub stars | 48 024 ✓ | 8 651 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +135 | +156 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 1 |
| Latest release | _gh-attach-assets · 15 Jul 2026 ✓ | v1.3.2 · 7 Dec 2025 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Ruby | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Discourse scores 83/100 against 66/100 for Workout.cool, so it is the safer default.

If you want the quickest setup, Workout.cool is easier to run; Discourse needs more configuration.

## Details

- [Discourse](https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse.md)
- [Workout.cool](https://selfhost.directory/project/workout-cool) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/workout-cool.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-workout-cool