diaspora* vs Loops
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
Loops
Federated short video sharing platform
| Feature | diaspora* | Loops |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 350 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,656 | ★ 437 |
| First released | 2010 | 2025 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube |
Why pick each one
Choose Loops if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-or-later license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 350 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is diaspora* or Loops better?
Neither is universally better. diaspora* has the larger community, while Loops is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are diaspora* and Loops free and open-source?
Yes. diaspora* is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Loops under AGPL-3.0-or-later. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run diaspora* and Loops with Docker?
diaspora*: yes. Loops: check the project docs for container support.