Akkoma vs pump.io
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
pump.io
Streams server for the social web
| Feature | Akkoma | pump.io |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Elixir | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 400 | ★ 2,237 |
| First released | 2022 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Tumblr |
What are Akkoma and pump.io?
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
pump.io
pump.io is a stream server that lets users post activities to their followers and to the web, implementing the Activity Streams format. It can be self-hosted as a personal social networking node.
- Activity Streams social server
- Personal social networking node
- Federation support
Akkoma vs pump.io: key differences
Akkoma is written in Elixir, while pump.io is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Akkoma versus Apache-2.0 for pump.io. Pump.io is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Akkoma. Pump.io is the more established project (first released 2013), while Akkoma arrived in 2022. Pump.io has the considerably larger community, at 2,237 GitHub stars versus 400. Akkoma lists first-class Docker deployment; pump.io 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 pump.io if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Akkoma or pump.io better?
Neither is universally better. pump.io has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Akkoma and pump.io free and open-source?
Yes. Akkoma is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and pump.io under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Akkoma and pump.io with Docker?
Akkoma: yes. pump.io: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Akkoma or pump.io?
pump.io has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Akkoma. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.