Discourse vs Friendica
Both Discourse and Friendica are self-hosted alternatives to Facebook. Both are filed under Communication - Social Networks and Forums.
Side by side
| Field | Discourse | Friendica |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Advanced forum / community solution based on Ruby and JS. | Social Communication Server. |
| GitHub stars | 48,046 | 1,698 |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Platforms | Docker | PHP |
| Latest release | _gh-attach-assets, 15 July 2026 | 2026.05-1, 21 May 2026 |
| Repository activity | 2 November 2026 | 1 November 2026 |
| Health | Active | Active |
| Categories | Communication - Social Networks and Forums | Communication - Social Networks and Forums |
| Website | https://www.discourse.org/ | https://friendi.ca/ |
| Source code | https://github.com/discourse/discourse | https://github.com/friendica/friendica |
Where the records differ
Computed from the two records above: a line appears only where the dataset states a figure, a date or a set relation, and no line recommends one application over the other.
- Discourse has more GitHub stars in the dataset, 48,046 against 1,698.
- Discourse recorded repository activity more recently, 2 November 2026 against 1 November 2026.
- Discourse has the newer release on record: _gh-attach-assets, 15 July 2026, against 2026.05-1, 21 May 2026.
- Licenses differ: Discourse is listed under GPL-2.0; Friendica under AGPL-3.0.
- Platforms differ: Discourse lists Docker; Friendica lists PHP.
- Both are filed under the same categories: Communication - Social Networks and Forums.