BuddyPress vs diaspora*
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?
BuddyPress
Turn WordPress into a social network
VS
diaspora*
Privacy-focused decentralized social network
| Feature | BuddyPress | diaspora* |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 250 | ★ 13,656 |
| First released | 2009 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Ning, Mighty Networks | Facebook, Twitter |
Why pick each one
Choose BuddyPress if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BuddyPress or diaspora* better?
Neither is universally better. diaspora* has the larger community, while BuddyPress is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BuddyPress and diaspora* free and open-source?
Yes. BuddyPress is licensed under GPL-2.0 and diaspora* under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BuddyPress and diaspora* with Docker?
BuddyPress: check the project docs for container support. diaspora*: yes.