Chirpy 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?
Chirpy
Privacy-friendly and customizable Disqus (comment system) alternate
VS
diaspora*
Privacy-focused decentralized social network
| Feature | Chirpy | diaspora* |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 604 | ★ 13,656 |
| First released | 2024 | 2010 |
| Replaces | — | Facebook, Twitter |
Why pick each one
Choose Chirpy if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Chirpy or diaspora* better?
Neither is universally better. diaspora* has the larger community, while Chirpy is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Chirpy and diaspora* free and open-source?
Yes. Chirpy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and diaspora* under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chirpy and diaspora* with Docker?
Chirpy: yes. diaspora*: yes.