Akkoma vs Honk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Akkoma
Feature-rich fediverse server forked from Pleroma
VS
Honk
Opinionated single-user ActivityPub server
| Feature | Akkoma | Honk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | ISC |
| Language | Elixir | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 400 | ★ 400 |
| First released | 2022 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Tumblr | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Akkoma and Honk?
Akkoma
Akkoma is a free, open-source fediverse microblogging server forked from Pleroma. It focuses on customization, additional features, and a friendly community while staying lightweight.
- Pleroma-compatible fediverse server
- Extensive customization options
- Mastodon API support
- Bubble timeline feature
Honk
Honk is an opinionated, single-user ActivityPub server written in Go that federates with the wider fediverse. It deliberately omits algorithmic feeds and trends in favor of a simple chronological timeline.
- Single-user fediverse server
- Chronological timeline
- SQLite storage
- Minimal dependencies
Akkoma vs Honk: key differences
Akkoma is written in Elixir, while Honk is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Akkoma versus ISC for Honk. Honk is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Akkoma. Honk is the more established project (first released 2019), while Akkoma arrived in 2022. Akkoma lists first-class Docker deployment; Honk does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Akkoma if…
- Lots of configuration options
- Lightweight footprint
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Hosted on a niche forge
Choose Honk if…
- Released under the ISC license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Akkoma or Honk better?
Neither is universally better. Akkoma has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Akkoma and Honk free and open-source?
Yes. Akkoma is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Honk under ISC. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Akkoma and Honk with Docker?
Akkoma: yes. Honk: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Akkoma or Honk?
Honk has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Akkoma. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.