hometownvsNodeBB
Two self-hosted Social Networks & Forums projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| hometown | NodeBB | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 48/100 | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #52 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #4 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 819 | 15 243 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +18 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 31 |
| Latest release | v4.6.9+hometown-1.3.1 · 14 Oct 2026 | v4.16.5 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Ruby | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
NodeBB scores 73/100 against 48/100 for hometown, so it is the safer default.
NodeBB ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for hometown.
NodeBB is growing faster right now (+18 stars in 30 days).
hometown details →NodeBB details →All Social Networks & Forums projects →