diaspora* vs Iceshrimp.NET
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?
diaspora*
Privacy-focused decentralized social network
VS
Iceshrimp.NET
Federated microblogging server that communicates over ActivityPub
| Feature | diaspora* | Iceshrimp.NET |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | EUPL-1.2 |
| Language | Ruby | .NET |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,656 | — |
| First released | 2010 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Iceshrimp.NET if…
- Released under the EUPL-1.2 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in .NET
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is diaspora* or Iceshrimp.NET better?
Neither is universally better. diaspora* has the larger community, while Iceshrimp.NET is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are diaspora* and Iceshrimp.NET free and open-source?
Yes. diaspora* is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Iceshrimp.NET under EUPL-1.2. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run diaspora* and Iceshrimp.NET with Docker?
diaspora*: yes. Iceshrimp.NET: yes.