# Lathe vs NodeBB

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

| | Lathe | NodeBB |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 52/100 | 73/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #7 of 30 in Education | #4 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 1 708 | 15 243 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +18 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 31 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.5.0 · 20 Jul 2026 | v4.16.5 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

NodeBB scores 73/100 against 52/100 for Lathe, so it is the safer default.

NodeBB ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Lathe.

If you want the quickest setup, Lathe is easier to run; NodeBB needs more configuration.

NodeBB is growing faster right now (+18 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Lathe](https://selfhost.directory/project/lathe) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/lathe.md)
- [NodeBB](https://selfhost.directory/project/nodebb) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nodebb.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/lathe-vs-nodebb