Fedify vs Hometown
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Fedify | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 81 · Excellent |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,026 | ★ 823 |
| First released | 2024 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Fedify and Hometown?
Fedify
Fedify is a TypeScript framework for building ActivityPub-based federated server applications. It handles the protocol details so developers can create new fediverse software more easily.
- ActivityPub server framework
- Handles federation protocol
- TypeScript and Deno support
- Powers fediverse apps
Hometown
Hometown is a friendly fork of Mastodon that adds local-only posting, full-text content support, and other community-oriented features. It is aimed at small, close-knit fediverse instances.
- Local-only posts
- Full-text content
- Mastodon compatibility
- Small-community focus
Fedify vs Hometown: key differences
Fedify is written in TypeScript, while Hometown is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — MIT for Fedify versus AGPL-3.0 for Hometown. Fedify is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Hometown. Hometown is the more established project (first released 2019), while Fedify arrived in 2024. Hometown lists first-class Docker deployment; Fedify does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Fedify if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Hometown if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Ruby
Frequently asked questions
Is Fedify or Hometown better?
Fedify is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Hometown if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Fedify and Hometown free and open-source?
Yes. Fedify is licensed under MIT and Hometown under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fedify and Hometown with Docker?
Fedify: check the project docs for container support. Hometown: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Fedify or Hometown?
Fedify has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Hometown. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.