Talkyard
Bootstrapware Comments vs Talkyard
Talkyard is discussion software for a community: forums, question-and-answer, idea voting, basic team chat, and blog comments. Bootstrapware Comments is a component that threads a discussion onto a record your app already authorizes.
Checked September 26, 2026: talkyard.io, blog comments, and the GitHub README and LICENSE.txt.
License and hosting
The README says AGPLv3 or later. LICENSE.txt is the GNU AGPL, version 3. The software price on the pages we read is free when you install it yourself. The server, backups, and the people who keep it running are the operator’s cost, and this page does not price that labor. Their forum pricing page mentions a commercial license when AGPL cannot be used, with no public price.
Self-hosted Talkyard keeps discussion text on a server you operate. Bootstrapware BYO keeps it in the database behind your existing session, at $9.99 per workspace per month for live config. Hosted stores it with us at $19.99. Those are our prices. They are not a Talkyard quote.
Two price pages, no table here
talkyard.io/pricing and forum.talkyard.io/pricing both responded on September 26, 2026, and they did not print the same plan table. One is priced per active coworker. The other lists flat monthly forum plans, including a very small Almost Free amount. Until Talkyard says which table a new customer would be charged, this page does not treat either figure as current and does not line them up against Bootstrapware.
The job
| Question | Talkyard | Bootstrapware Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Forum, Q&A, ideation, basic chat, blog comments | Threads on a host-owned task, order, or portal request |
| Who can comment | Forum accounts, with OIDC listed. Blog comments can reuse that account or allow guests | People your server already authorized for that resource |
| Votes | Like, disagree, and bury on blog comments. Idea votes on the product | None. Voting is Feedback, not Comments |
| License if you shipped their code | AGPL-3.0-or-later | We do not depend on Talkyard |
Their marketing pricing lists a permission system and custom groups. The pages we read did not show a thread bound to an arbitrary host tenant and resource id under the host’s session alone. That is a gap in what we verified, not a claim that Talkyard can never be adapted. Comments on tasks and records is the job this product documents.
FAQ
What is Talkyard for?
A coworker forum, Q&A, ideation, basic chat, and embedded blog comments. You can install it on your server. The software license is AGPL-3.0-or-later.
Why is there no Talkyard price on this page?
On September 26, 2026, talkyard.io/pricing and forum.talkyard.io/pricing both returned HTTP 200 and printed different tables. This page does not pick one as the current price and does not compare either table to $9.99 or $19.99.
Can I copy Talkyard into Bootstrapware?
No. Self-hosting unmodified Talkyard is their offer. Modifying it and serving it as Bootstrapware Comments would raise AGPL source-disclosure duties. We do not copy it, and we do not call the license MIT.
Is Talkyard chat a substitute for Bootstrapware Chat?
Talkyard’s own homepage calls its chat fairly basic and names Slack, Mattermost, Zulip, and Rocket.Chat as stronger chat tools. Bootstrapware Chat is a separate product for person-to-person messaging. Comments is the record discussion.
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