Best Rooster Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from online community platforms ranked against Rooster on the same published basis.
- 1Rooster vs NodeBB
- 2Rooster vs HumHub
- 3Rooster vs Nodyx
- 4Rooster vs Open Social
- 5Rooster vs Discourse
- 6Rooster vs DownToMeet
- 7Rooster vs Daisie
- 8Rooster vs phpBB
- 9Rooster vs Question2Answer
- 10Rooster vs Archive of Our Own
- 11Rooster vs Circle
- 12Rooster vs Fora
- 13Rooster vs Mobilize
- 14Rooster vs Geneva
- 15Rooster vs Invision Community
- 16Rooster vs Heartbeat
- 17Rooster vs Mighty Networks
- 18Rooster vs Wattpad
- 19Rooster vs Flarum
- 20Rooster vs Reddit
Rooster alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NodeBB | 7.2 | Free plan | $20/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | HumHub | 7.1 | Free plan | — | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 3 | Nodyx | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Open Social | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 5 | Discourse | 6.7 | Free plan | $100/mo | self-hosted |
| 6 | DownToMeet | 6.7 | Free plan | $0.83/mo | Web |
| 7 | Daisie | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Web |
| 8 | phpBB | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | self-hosted, Web |
| 9 | Question2Answer | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | self-hosted, Web |
| 10 | Archive of Our Own | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 11 | Circle | 6.5 | No | $89/mo | Android, API, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 12 | Fora | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 13 | Mobilize | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 14 | Geneva | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 15 | Invision Community | 6.4 | No | — | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 16 | Heartbeat | 6.3 | No | $19/mo | Android, iOS |
| 17 | Mighty Networks | 6.3 | No | $79/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 18 | Wattpad | 6.3 | No | — | Android, iOS, Web |
| 19 | Flarum | 6.2 | No | — | API, Browser, self-hosted, Web |
| 20 | 6.2 | No | — | Web, iOS, Android |
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Questions about Rooster alternatives
What is the best alternative to Rooster?
NodeBB, number 1 in online community platforms with a score of 7.2 out of 10. The others here: HumHub, Nodyx, Open Social and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Rooster?
NodeBB is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on.