SelfHostHub

Self-hosted Communication - Social Networks and Forums

SelfHostHub lists 40 open-source Social Networks and Forums projects you can host on your own server. The most-starred on GitHub are Mastodon (50,415 stars), Discourse (47,993 stars) and Flarum (16,424 stars). 22 of them document a Docker install, and 7 offer a live demo you can try first.

Replacing a paid app? See open-source alternatives to Discord.

Federated microblogging server.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Advanced forum / community solution based on Ruby and JS.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsGPL-2.0

Delightfully simple forums. Flarum is the next-generation forum software that makes online discussion fun again.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsMIT

Knowledge-based community software. You can use it to quickly build your Q&A community for product technical support, customer support, user communication, and more.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsApache-2.0

Forum software built for the modern web.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsGPL-3.0

Link aggregator for the fediverse (alternative to Reddit).

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Distributed social networking server.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Decentralized app-like microblogging server/SNS for the Fediverse, using the ActivityPub protocol like GNU social and Mastodon.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Ethical photo sharing platform, powered by ActivityPub federation (alternative to Instagram).

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

HumHub

6.8k

Flexible kit for private social networks.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Lightweight and simple comment engine, which doesn't spy on users. It can be embedded into blogs, articles or any other place where readers add comments.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsMIT

Isso

5.3k

Lightweight commenting server written in Python and Javascript. It aims to be a drop-in replacement for Disqus.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsMIT

Redlib

3.8k

An alternative private front-end to Reddit, with its origins in Libreddit.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Misago

2.8k

Fully featured modern forum application that is fast, scalable and responsive.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsGPL-2.0

Loomio

2.6k

Collaborative decision-making tool that makes it easy for anyone to participate in decisions which affect them.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Artalk

2.3k

Comment system built in Golang, providing a lightweight and highly customizable solution for adding comments to your website.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsMIT

phpBB

2.1k

Flat-forum bulletin board software solution that can be used to stay in touch with a group of people or can power your entire website.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsGPL-2.0

Movim

2.1k

Modern, federated social network based on XMPP, with a fully featured group-chat, subscriptions and microblogging.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Coral

2.0k

A better commenting experience from Vox Media.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsApache-2.0

Create a community, where your users can suggest ideas and get questions answered. And have friendly open-ended discussions and chat (Slack/StackOverflow/Discourse/Reddit/Disqus hybrid).

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Social Communication Server.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Elgg

1.7k

Powerful open source social networking engine.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsGPL-2.0

OSSN

1.3k

Social networking software that allows you to make a social networking website and helps your members build social relationships, with people who share similar professional or personal interests.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsCAL-1.0

MyBB

1.2k

Free, extensible forum software package.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsLGPL-3.0

Stack Overflow in a JAR. An enterprise-ready Q&A platform with full-text search, SAML, LDAP integration and social login support.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsApache-2.0

Free, professional grade software package that allows you to set up your own online community within minutes.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsBSD-3-Clause

Enigma 1/2 is a modern, multi-platform BBS engine with unlimited "callers" and legacy DOS door game support.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsBSD-2-Clause

Q&A-based community knowledge-sharing software.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Federated and decentralized profile builder and social network engine.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Bridge that interacts with Fediverse on behalf of your static site.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Powerful plugin that takes your WordPress.org powered site beyond the blog with social-network features like user profiles, activity streams, user groups, and more.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsGPL-2.0

A Platform for Local Communities.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Federated microblogging server with Mastodon, GNU social, and ActivityPub compatibility.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Fast, SQLite-powered forum engine written in ASM.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsEUPL-1.2

ActivityPub federated social network server implementing the Mastodon client API.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Decentralized identity, privacy, publishing, sharing, cloud storage, and communications/social platform.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsMIT

Federated microblogging server that communicates over ActivityPub.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsEUPL-1.2

A link aggregator / reddit clone for the fediverse (alternative to Reddit).

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Federated microblogging server, Mastodon, GNU social, & ActivityPub compatible.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsAGPL-3.0

Self-Hosted, Twitter™-like Decentralised micro-logging platform. No ads, no tracking, your content, your data.

Communication - Social Networks and ForumsMIT

How to choose self-hosted Social Networks and Forums software

  1. Check project health. Stars show popularity, not maintenance. Open the source repository and look at recent commits and releases.
  2. Match the licence to your use. 26 use a GPL-family licence (copyleft, including AGPL) and 11 use a permissive licence such as MIT, Apache-2.0 or BSD. AGPL matters if you modify the software and offer it to others over a network.
  3. Pick a stack you can run. The most common platforms here are Docker (22), PHP (12), Go (5) and Nodejs (4). Docker is usually the easiest path for a home server or VPS.
  4. Try before you migrate. Use a live demo where one exists (7 here), or a throwaway container first, and confirm it can import your existing data before switching.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular self-hosted Social Networks and Forums software?

By GitHub stars, the top projects in this category are Mastodon (50,415 stars), Discourse (47,993 stars) and Flarum (16,424 stars).

How many open-source Social Networks and Forums tools are listed?

40 projects are currently listed in the Social Networks and Forums category on SelfHostHub.

Which licences do self-hosted Social Networks and Forums projects use?

The most common licences in this category are AGPL-3.0 (19), MIT (6) and GPL-2.0 (5).

Can I run these Social Networks and Forums tools with Docker?

22 of the 40 projects list Docker as a supported platform. Check each project's documentation for the exact install steps.

Related categories