head to head · open source
symphony vs Misago
symphony has 2,943 GitHub stars, 507 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. Misago has 2,777 stars, 557 forks, 171 open issues and last shipped today. symphony leads on adoption by 6% (2,943 vs 2,777 stars). symphony is written in Java under AGPL-3.0; Misago is written in Python under GPL-2.0. symphony has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, Misago 20%. Misago was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (forum), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| symphony | Misago | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 2.9K | ★ 2.8K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-09 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 507 | ⑂ 557 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick symphony if
- You weight community size — 2.9K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Misago if
- You want the Misago feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Misago fits your workflow better
About symphony
Symphony is a community platform implemented in Java under the AGPL 3.0 license. It combines a discussion forum, a Q&A site, a social network with sharing, friends, and games, and blog like publishing in one system. The project lives in the Java ecosystem and is published through the B3log website and official discussion area.
read the full symphony overview →
About Misago
Misago is a Python and Django forum application for building online community forums. It lives in the Python and Django web ecosystem and presents itself as a modern forum platform that challenges outdated forum software opinions.
read the full Misago overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is symphony or Misago more popular?
symphony has 2,943 GitHub stars and Misago has 2,777. symphony has the larger community by that measure.
Are symphony and Misago free?
Both are open source. symphony is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Misago under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between symphony and Misago?
symphony is written in Java and Misago in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, symphony or Misago?
Choose symphony if you want the larger community (2,943 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Misago if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.