Akkoma vs WriteFreely
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
WriteFreely
Minimalist federated blogging platform
| Feature | Akkoma | WriteFreely |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Elixir | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 400 | ★ 5,257 |
| First released | 2022 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Tumblr | Medium, Tumblr |
What are Akkoma and WriteFreely?
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
WriteFreely
WriteFreely is a free, open-source, federated blogging platform written in Go. It focuses on distraction-free writing and publishes posts that can federate with the fediverse.
- Distraction-free writing
- ActivityPub federation
- Multiple blogs per user
- Markdown support
Akkoma vs WriteFreely: key differences
Akkoma is written in Elixir, while WriteFreely is built with Go. WriteFreely is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Akkoma. WriteFreely is the more established project (first released 2018), while Akkoma arrived in 2022. WriteFreely has the considerably larger community, at 5,257 GitHub stars versus 400.
Why pick each one
Choose Akkoma if…
- Lots of configuration options
- Lightweight footprint
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Hosted on a niche forge
Choose WriteFreely if…
- Clean minimalist design
- Lightweight to host
Watch out for
- Few social features
- Sparse theming options
Frequently asked questions
Is Akkoma or WriteFreely better?
WriteFreely is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Akkoma if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Akkoma and WriteFreely free and open-source?
Yes. Akkoma is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WriteFreely under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Akkoma and WriteFreely with Docker?
Akkoma: yes. WriteFreely: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Akkoma or WriteFreely?
WriteFreely 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.