Campfire vs Pixelfed
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 | Campfire | Pixelfed |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | free | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,471 | ★ 7,055 |
| First released | 2022 | 2018 |
| Replaces | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Campfire if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Active community (4.5k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Campfire or Pixelfed better?
Neither is universally better. Pixelfed has the larger community, while Campfire is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Campfire and Pixelfed free and open-source?
Yes. Campfire is licensed under free and Pixelfed under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Campfire and Pixelfed with Docker?
Campfire: yes. Pixelfed: yes.