Enafore vs Mastodon
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?
Enafore
Fediverse client with better support for Akkoma, glitch-soc, and
VS
Mastodon
Decentralized open-source microblogging server
| Feature | Enafore | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0-only | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 100 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 94 | ★ 50,177 |
| First released | 2025 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Elk, Masto-FE, Phanpy | Twitter, X |
Why pick each one
Choose Enafore if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-only license
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 100 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Enafore or Mastodon better?
Neither is universally better. Mastodon has the larger community, while Enafore is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Enafore and Mastodon free and open-source?
Yes. Enafore is licensed under AGPL-3.0-only and Mastodon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Enafore and Mastodon with Docker?
Enafore: check the project docs for container support. Mastodon: yes.