Discourse vs GoToSocial
Both Discourse and GoToSocial are self-hosted alternatives to Facebook. Both are filed under Communication - Social Networks and Forums.
Side by side
| Field | Discourse | GoToSocial |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Advanced forum / community solution based on Ruby and JS. | ActivityPub federated social network server implementing the Mastodon client API. |
| GitHub stars | 48,045 | Not tracked — proprietary, no public repository |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Platforms | Docker | Docker, Go |
| Latest release | No stable release | No stable release |
| Repository activity | 3 November 2026 | Not tracked — proprietary, no public repository |
| Health | Active | No activity date recorded |
| Categories | Communication - Social Networks and Forums | Communication - Social Networks and Forums |
| Website | https://www.discourse.org/ | https://docs.gotosocial.org/en/latest/ |
| Source code | https://github.com/discourse/discourse | https://codeberg.org/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial |
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.
- Health labels differ: Discourse is filed as Active, GoToSocial as No activity date recorded.
- Licenses differ: Discourse is listed under GPL-2.0; GoToSocial under AGPL-3.0.
- Platforms differ: Discourse lists Docker; GoToSocial lists Docker, Go.
- Both are filed under the same categories: Communication - Social Networks and Forums.