Commune is an open source community platform, specifically designed for public-by-default communities. We serve projects that benefit from working in the open, perpetually improved by their wisdom of the crowd.
Built as a Matrix server extension (Synapse only for now) combined with a custom client to make use of said extensions, Commune inverts some major norms of the mainstream Matrix experience:
- Web-readable channels and threads that are easily shared as links and tended to in a digital garden.
- Shared interest discoverability across spaces via federated webrings.
- Opt-in everything (encryption, federation, notifications et.al.) for ease of onboarding. Our top priority is getting people into a shared space together with minimal friction.
- Baked in Discord-interop for easy onboarding of non-Matrix users.
With the Matrix protocol as a stable backbone, Commune acts as an accessibility layer on top that optimizes for online community building by small and medium sized grassroots organisations, as opposed to the 'secure & private' focus of Element which targets governments and enterprises.
See this comparison for a better idea of how Commune compares to other chat/forum apps.
Our GitHub org is called Commune OS because it contains not just Commune-chat, but all projects pertaining to a vision of a modular yet interoperable “operating system“ for digital communications, also reflected in the channels of our Discord/Matrix(soon) space.