MastodonvsForem Selfhost
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Mastodon | Forem Selfhost | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #2 of 6 in Community |
| GitHub stars | 50 456 | 1 480 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +137 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 38 | 0 |
| Latest release | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Ruby | Jinja |
Which one should you pick?
Mastodon scores 82/100 against 51/100 for Forem Selfhost, so it is the safer default.
Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Forem Selfhost.
Mastodon is growing faster right now (+137 stars in 30 days).
Mastodon details →Forem Selfhost details →