12 picks · data-backed ranking
Best open source apps written in Ruby
The best self-hosted apps written in Ruby are Mastodon, Discourse and Chatwoot. Mastodon leads with 50,455 GitHub stars.
Candidates: the 39 apps whose main GitHub language is Ruby.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Mastodon
mastodon/mastodon
Federated microblogging server.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Social & ForumsRubyDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Mastodon has 50,455 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 3,106 commits in the last year; it replaces Twitter / X.
- Rank 2:
Discourse
discourse/discourse
Advanced forum / community solution based on Ruby and JS.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Social & ForumsRubyDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (7,492). Discourse has 48,023 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 7,492 commits in the last year; it replaces Reddit.
- Rank 3:
Chatwoot
chatwoot/chatwoot
Customer communication platform (alternative to Intercom and Zendesk).
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Team ChatRubyDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. Chatwoot has 38,467 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 1,509 commits in the last year.
At a glance
Open source apps written in Ruby compared
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mastodon | the most GitHub stars | AGPL-3.0 | 50,455 | 3,106 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Discourse | the most commits in the last 12 months (7,492) | GPL-2.0 | 48,023 | 7,492 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Chatwoot | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 38,467 | 1,509 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| GitLab | an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide | MIT | 24,546 | 2,376 | Oct 23, 2026 | Yes |
| Huginn | the most recent release (v2026.10.26, October 2026) | MIT | 50,160 | 468 | Oct 26, 2026 | No |
| Docuseal | – | AGPL-3.0 | 18,873 | 1,013 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| OpenProject | – | GPL-3.0 | 16,755 | 19,042 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Dawarich | – | AGPL-3.0 | 10,768 | 3,683 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Sure | – | AGPL-3.0 | 10,707 | 2,377 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Spree Commerce | – | BSD-3-Clause | 15,784 | 3,939 | Oct 28, 2026 | No |
Full ranking
All 12 picks, ranked
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
- 1
Mastodon
Federated microblogging server.
Social & ForumsDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Mastodon has 50,455 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 3,106 commits in the last year; it replaces Twitter / X.
- 2
Discourse
Advanced forum / community solution based on Ruby and JS.
Social & ForumsDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (7,492). Discourse has 48,023 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 7,492 commits in the last year; it replaces Reddit.
- 3
Chatwoot
Customer communication platform (alternative to Intercom and Zendesk).
Team ChatDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. Chatwoot has 38,467 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 1,509 commits in the last year.
- 4
GitLab
DevOps platform with Git hosting, CI/CD, issue tracking and security scanning in one app.
Project ManagementDockerStands out for an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide. GitLab has 24,546 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 2,376 commits in the last year.
- 5
Huginn
Build agents that monitor and act on your behalf.
Automation & WorkflowsStands out for the most recent release (v2026.10.26, October 2026). Huginn has 50,160 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, is written in Ruby and had 468 commits in the last year; it replaces Zapier and IFTTT.
- 6
Docuseal
Create, fill, and sign digital documents (alternative to DocuSign).
Document ManagementDockerDocuseal has 18,873 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 1,013 commits in the last year; it replaces DocuSign and Adobe Acrobat.
- 7
OpenProject
Manage your projects, tasks and goals. Collaborate via work packages and link them to your pull requests on Github.
Project ManagementDockerOpenProject has 16,755 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 19,042 commits in the last year; it replaces Jira and Asana.
- 8
Dawarich
Visualize your location history, track your movements, and analyze your travel patterns with complete privacy and control (alternative to Google Timeline a.k.a. Google Location History).
Maps & GPSDockerDawarich has 10,768 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 3,683 commits in the last year.
- 9
Sure
Personal finance application for everyone (fork of Maybe).
Finance & BudgetingDockerSure has 10,707 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 2,377 commits in the last year.
- 10
Spree Commerce
Spree is a complete, modular & API-driven open source e-commerce solution for Ruby on Rails.
E-commerceSpree Commerce has 15,784 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, is written in Ruby and had 3,939 commits in the last year; it replaces Shopify.
- 11
Solidus
Ecommerce platform that gives you complete control over your store.
E-commerceDockerSolidus has 5,346 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 860 commits in the last year.
- 12
Postal
Complete and fully featured mail server for use by websites & web servers.
Email ServersDockerPostal has 16,897 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 18 commits in the last year; it replaces Twilio SendGrid and Mailgun.
Is Mastodon free?
Yes. Mastodon is open-source software released under the AGPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I self-host these apps with Docker?
Yes, 10 of the 12 picks. Mastodon, Discourse and Chatwoot publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.
Are all of these apps open source?
All 12 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license.
Which of these apps is the most actively developed?
OpenProject, with 19,042 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, v17.9.4, from October 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
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