Epicyon vs Friendica
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?
Epicyon
Minimalist ActivityPub server for the fediverse
VS
Friendica
Decentralized social network with broad federation
| Feature | Epicyon | Friendica |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 1,680 |
| First released | 2019 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Facebook, Twitter |
Why pick each one
Choose Epicyon if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Epicyon or Friendica better?
Neither is universally better. Friendica has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Epicyon and Friendica free and open-source?
Yes. Epicyon is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Friendica under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Epicyon and Friendica with Docker?
Epicyon: check the project docs for container support. Friendica: yes.