diaspora* vs Misskey

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?
Featurediaspora*Misskey
CategorySocial NetworksSocial Networks
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageRubyTypeScript
Setup difficultyHardHard
Min. RAM1,024 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 13,656★ 11,271
First released20102014
ReplacesFacebook, TwitterTwitter, Tumblr

Why pick each one

Choose diaspora* if…

  • Strong privacy ethos
  • Established network
diaspora* details

Choose Misskey if…

  • Rich, playful feature set
  • Active development
Misskey details

Frequently asked questions

Is diaspora* or Misskey better?

Neither is universally better. diaspora* has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are diaspora* and Misskey free and open-source?

Yes. diaspora* is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Misskey under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run diaspora* and Misskey with Docker?

diaspora*: yes. Misskey: yes.

Related comparisons