# NATS vs NodeBB

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

| | NATS | NodeBB |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Message Broker | #4 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 20 959 ✓ | 15 244 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +194 ✓ | +19 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 | 31 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 | v4.16.5 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

NATS scores 80/100 against 73/100 for NodeBB, so it is the safer default.

NodeBB ships more often: 31 stable releases in the past year, against 18 for NATS.

NATS is growing faster right now (+194 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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