Discourse vs Mastodon
Both Discourse and Mastodon are self-hosted alternatives to Facebook. Both are filed under Communication - Social Networks and Forums.
Side by side
| Field | Discourse | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Advanced forum / community solution based on Ruby and JS. | Federated microblogging server. |
| GitHub stars | 48,046 | 50,464 |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Platforms | Docker | Ruby |
| Latest release | _gh-attach-assets, 15 July 2026 | v4.7.4, 29 October 2026 |
| Repository activity | 2 November 2026 | 30 October 2026 |
| Health | Active | Active |
| Categories | Communication - Social Networks and Forums | Communication - Social Networks and Forums |
| Website | https://www.discourse.org/ | https://joinmastodon.org/ |
| Source code | https://github.com/discourse/discourse | https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon |
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.
- Mastodon has more GitHub stars in the dataset, 50,464 against 48,046.
- Discourse recorded repository activity more recently, 2 November 2026 against 30 October 2026.
- Mastodon has the newer release on record: v4.7.4, 29 October 2026, against _gh-attach-assets, 15 July 2026.
- Licenses differ: Discourse is listed under GPL-2.0; Mastodon under AGPL-3.0.
- Platforms differ: Discourse lists Docker; Mastodon lists Ruby.
- Both are filed under the same categories: Communication - Social Networks and Forums.