FlarumvsPixelFed
Two self-hosted Social Networks & Forums projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Flarum | PixelFed | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 69/100 | 64/100 |
| Rank in category | #6 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #12 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 6 764 | 7 131 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +12 | +24 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 | 15 |
| Latest release | v1.8.21 · 23 Oct 2026 | v0.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | PHP | PHP |
Which one should you pick?
Flarum scores 69/100 against 64/100 for PixelFed, so it is the safer default.
PixelFed ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for Flarum.
If you want the quickest setup, Flarum is easier to run; PixelFed needs more configuration.
Flarum details →PixelFed details →All Social Networks & Forums projects →