Bloat vs Mastodon
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Bloat
Web client for Pleroma, Mitra and other Fediverse connected apps
VS
Mastodon
Decentralized open-source microblogging server
| Feature | Bloat | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | Unlicense | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 50,177 |
| First released | 2024 | 2016 |
| Replaces | — | Twitter, X |
Why pick each one
Choose Bloat if…
- Released under the Unlicense license
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Bloat or Mastodon better?
Neither is universally better. Mastodon has the larger community, while Bloat is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Bloat and Mastodon free and open-source?
Yes. Bloat is licensed under Unlicense and Mastodon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bloat and Mastodon with Docker?
Bloat: check the project docs for container support. Mastodon: yes.