Discuit

Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhoneLinuxSelf-hostedWeb

What Discuit is

Discuit is a free, open-source community discussion platform presented as an alternative to Reddit. Its web app lets people browse communities using Popular, Latest, Oldest, A–Z or Z–A sorting. The home feed can be arranged by Hot, Activity, New or Top, with time ranges of day, week, month, year or all time. Readers can choose Card or Compact post layouts, and the site provides advanced moderation tools. Discuit is a Progressive Web App that users can install on their devices.

Discuit is also available for self-hosting. Its project documents how to run the server locally or with Docker and says the software is designed for Linux-based systems. The project documents a REST API. The backend is built with Go, the frontend with React, MariaDB is the main datastore and Redis is used for transient data. The code is available under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 or later. Its maker describes Discuit as a nonprofit social media platform. The project welcomes contributions and asks contributors to discuss substantial work with maintainers before beginning. For setup help, its documentation points to GitHub Issues and the DiscuitDev community. Listed platforms include API, Linux, self-hosted and web.

Who it suits

Discuit suits people looking for an open-source community discussion platform with configurable feed sorting, community browsing and post layouts. It also fits groups or developers who want to host the software themselves on Linux-based systems or work with its documented API.

What it does well

Free and open source under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 or later.
Community browsing includes five sorting choices.
Feed sorting covers four modes and five time ranges.
Installable Progressive Web App with Card and Compact layouts.
Self-hosting guidance covers local and Docker setups.

What to know first

Self-hosting is designed for Linux-based systems.
Mobile access is listed as a web app, not a native app.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	Free product · open-source AGPL-3.0	Free

As discuit.org lists them, read 15 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Open the Discuit website to use the web app.
Install the Progressive Web App on your device if preferred.
For self-hosting, follow the project’s local or Docker setup guidance on a Linux-based system.
Use GitHub Issues or the DiscuitDev community for setup help.

Verdict

Choose Discuit if you want a free, open-source discussion platform with flexible community and feed browsing, or need software you can self-host. Look elsewhere if you require a native mobile app or self-hosting outside Linux-based systems.

Questions

Is Discuit free?

Yes. It is listed as free and open-source software.

What license does Discuit use?

Its code is available under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 or later.

Can I self-host Discuit?

Yes. The project documents local and Docker setups and says it is designed for Linux-based systems.

Does Discuit have an API?

Yes. The project documents a REST API server.

Which platforms are listed?

The listed platforms are API, Linux, self-hosted and web. Discuit is also an installable Progressive Web App.

Who makes Discuit?

Its maker describes Discuit as a nonprofit social media platform.

Facts from Discuit's own pages

API: The project documents an API and identifies its backend as a REST API server. · docs.discuit.org, 11 Oct 2026
API authentication: The API authenticates with HTTP cookies named SID and csrftoken, and requires an X-Csrf-Token header for non-GET requests. · docs.discuit.org, 15 Oct 2026
API availability: Discuit publishes REST API documentation covering authentication, communities, notifications, posts, comments, users and lists. · docs.discuit.org, 15 Oct 2026
API errors: The documentation lists handling for 400, 404, 429 and 500 HTTP responses. · docs.discuit.org, 15 Oct 2026
Apple client: Cookie for Discuit is a free, unofficial, open-source iPhone client; the listing requires iOS 13 or later. · apps.apple.com, 15 Oct 2026
Architecture: Discuit uses Go for its backend, React for its frontend, MariaDB as its main datastore and Redis for transient data. · docs.discuit.org, 15 Oct 2026
Comments: Posts can include comments with cursor-based pagination. · docs.discuit.org, 15 Oct 2026
Community discovery: The site provides community browsing with Popular, Latest, Oldest, A–Z, and Z–A sorting. · discuit.org, 11 Oct 2026
Community model: The platform supports user-created communities. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 15 Oct 2026
Contributor guidance: The project welcomes contributions and asks contributors to discuss substantial work with maintainers before starting. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Documentation and support: Setup help is directed to GitHub Issues and the DiscuitDev community. · docs.discuit.org, 15 Oct 2026
Feed options: The home feed offers Hot, Activity, New, and Top sorting for day, week, month, year, and all time. · discuit.org, 11 Oct 2026
Google Play availability: The Google Play listing shows at least 50 downloads and says data is encrypted in transit, while some personal, photo/video and app-activity data may be shared. · play.google.com, 15 Oct 2026
Google Play client: Cookie for Discuit is an unofficial Android client that supports browsing, posting, commenting, voting, lists, muting and hiding posts. · play.google.com, 15 Oct 2026
Image galleries: Image posts can contain galleries and image metadata including format, dimensions, size and alternate copies. · docs.discuit.org, 15 Oct 2026
Interface options: Implemented interface controls include dark mode, compact mode, infinite-scroll enablement, notification selection and remembered feed sorting. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 15 Oct 2026
License: The source code is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 15 Oct 2026
Limit: early feature set: An AlternativeTo reviewer said the platform was still in its infancy regarding features, despite a solid foundation. · alternativeto.net, 15 Oct 2026
Limit: missing features: The roadmap still lists topic filtering, an explore page, URL/domain filtering, direct messages, search, RSS, moderation logs, wiki pages, post drafts and history as unfinished. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 15 Oct 2026
Limit: moderation concerns: An AlternativeTo review criticized the potentially harsh application of the platform's no-hate rule and alleged admin overreach. · alternativeto.net, 15 Oct 2026
Limit: moderation gaps: The roadmap lists temporary bans and a consolidated reports page for moderators as unfinished. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 15 Oct 2026
Maker identity: The project identifies its maintainer as Previnder. · alternativeto.net, 15 Oct 2026
Moderation: Implemented moderation includes pinned posts and comments, locking individual comments, and user or community muting. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 15 Oct 2026
Notable news: Discuit announced that its code became publicly available and the project became free open-source software on November 30, 2023. · blog.discuit.org, 15 Oct 2026

Where Discuit stands on Freedom251

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