diaspora* vs Mastodon
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Mastodon
Decentralized open-source microblogging server
| Feature | diaspora* | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,649 | ★ 50,319 |
| First released | 2010 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | Twitter, X |
What are diaspora* and Mastodon?
diaspora*
diaspora* is a free, open-source, privacy-aware decentralized social network. It is organized into independently operated pods that federate, giving users ownership of their data.
- Federated pod network
- Aspects for sharing control
- Hashtag-based discovery
- Data ownership focus
Mastodon
Mastodon is a free, open-source decentralized social network and microblogging server. It is part of the fediverse, federating with other ActivityPub servers so users can follow accounts across instances.
- ActivityPub federation
- Chronological timelines
- Content warnings and moderation tools
- Rich third-party app ecosystem
diaspora* vs Mastodon: key differences
Both projects are written in Ruby. Diaspora* is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Mastodon. Diaspora* is the more established project (first released 2010), while Mastodon arrived in 2016. Mastodon has the considerably larger community, at 50,319 GitHub stars versus 13,649.
Why pick each one
Choose diaspora* if…
- Strong privacy ethos
- Established network
Watch out for
- Limited fediverse interoperability
- Slower development
Choose Mastodon if…
- Large fediverse network
- Strong moderation features
Watch out for
- Resource-heavy to host
- Operationally complex
Frequently asked questions
Is diaspora* or Mastodon better?
Neither is universally better. Mastodon has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are diaspora* and Mastodon free and open-source?
Yes. diaspora* is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mastodon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run diaspora* and Mastodon with Docker?
diaspora*: yes. Mastodon: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, diaspora* or Mastodon?
diaspora* has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Mastodon. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.