diaspora* vs Masto-FE (🦥 flavour)
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
Masto-FE (🦥 flavour)
Mastodon-like interface for GoToSocial, based on IceShrimp's Masto-FE
| Feature | diaspora* | Masto-FE (🦥 flavour) |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 300 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,656 | — |
| First released | 2010 | 2025 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | Elk, Phanpy, Pinafore |
Why pick each one
Choose Masto-FE (🦥 flavour) if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Lightweight — runs in 300 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is diaspora* or Masto-FE (🦥 flavour) better?
Neither is universally better. diaspora* has the larger community, while Masto-FE (🦥 flavour) is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are diaspora* and Masto-FE (🦥 flavour) free and open-source?
Yes. diaspora* is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Masto-FE (🦥 flavour) under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run diaspora* and Masto-FE (🦥 flavour) with Docker?
diaspora*: yes. Masto-FE (🦥 flavour): check the project docs for container support.