FlarumvsNodeBB
Two self-hosted Social Networks & Forums projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Flarum | NodeBB | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 69/100 | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #6 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #4 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 6 764 | 15 243 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +13 | +18 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 | 31 |
| Latest release | v1.8.21 · 23 Oct 2026 | v4.16.5 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | PHP | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
NodeBB scores 73/100 against 69/100 for Flarum, so it is the safer default.
NodeBB ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for Flarum.
Flarum details →NodeBB details →All Social Networks & Forums projects →