Bridgy Fed vs Hollo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Hollo
Single-user federated microblogging server
| Feature | Bridgy Fed | Hollo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 79 · Good |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | Unlicense | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,238 | ★ 489 |
| First released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Bridgy Fed and Hollo?
Bridgy Fed
Bridgy Fed connects personal websites that use IndieWeb standards to the fediverse and the rest of the social web. It translates webmentions and ActivityPub so different networks can interact.
- Connects IndieWeb to fediverse
- Webmention translation
- ActivityPub bridging
- Cross-network interaction
Hollo
Hollo is a federated single-user microblogging server compatible with the Mastodon client API. It is designed for individuals who want their own ActivityPub presence without running a multi-user instance.
- Single-user microblog
- Mastodon API compatible
- ActivityPub federation
- Markdown posts
Bridgy Fed vs Hollo: key differences
Bridgy Fed is written in Python, while Hollo is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — Unlicense for Bridgy Fed versus AGPL-3.0 for Hollo. Bridgy Fed is the more established project (first released 2017), while Hollo arrived in 2024. Bridgy Fed has the considerably larger community, at 1,238 GitHub stars versus 489. Hollo lists first-class Docker deployment; Bridgy Fed does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Bridgy Fed if…
- Released under the Unlicense license
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Hollo if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Bridgy Fed or Hollo better?
Neither is universally better. Bridgy Fed has the larger community, while Hollo is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Bridgy Fed and Hollo free and open-source?
Yes. Bridgy Fed is licensed under Unlicense and Hollo under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bridgy Fed and Hollo with Docker?
Bridgy Fed: check the project docs for container support. Hollo: yes.