Bridgy Fed vs Invidious
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?
Bridgy Fed
Bridge connecting IndieWeb sites to the fediverse
VS
Invidious
Alternative front-end to YouTube
| Feature | Bridgy Fed | Invidious |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | Unlicense | GPL-3.0-only |
| Language | Python | Crystal |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,229 | ★ 22,442 |
| First released | 2017 | 2023 |
| Replaces | YouTube |
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 Invidious if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-only license
- Mature project with 22.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Crystal
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Bridgy Fed or Invidious better?
Invidious is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Bridgy Fed if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Bridgy Fed and Invidious free and open-source?
Yes. Bridgy Fed is licensed under Unlicense and Invidious under GPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bridgy Fed and Invidious with Docker?
Bridgy Fed: check the project docs for container support. Invidious: check the project docs for container support.