Buddycloud 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?
Buddycloud
Federated XMPP-based social networking server
VS
Invidious
Alternative front-end to YouTube
| Feature | Buddycloud | Invidious |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0-only |
| Language | Java | Crystal |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 70 | ★ 22,442 |
| First released | 2012 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Facebook Groups | YouTube |
Why pick each one
Choose Buddycloud if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Written in Java
- 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 Buddycloud or Invidious better?
Invidious is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Buddycloud if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Buddycloud and Invidious free and open-source?
Yes. Buddycloud is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Invidious under GPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buddycloud and Invidious with Docker?
Buddycloud: check the project docs for container support. Invidious: check the project docs for container support.