BuddyPress vs Piped
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?
| Feature | BuddyPress | Piped |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Language | PHP | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 250 | ★ 10,168 |
| First released | 2009 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Ning, Mighty Networks | YouTube |
Why pick each one
Choose BuddyPress if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Piped if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-or-later license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 10.2k GitHub stars
- Written in Vue
Frequently asked questions
Is BuddyPress or Piped better?
Piped is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider BuddyPress if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are BuddyPress and Piped free and open-source?
Yes. BuddyPress is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Piped under AGPL-3.0-or-later. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BuddyPress and Piped with Docker?
BuddyPress: check the project docs for container support. Piped: check the project docs for container support.