Fedify vs ActivityPub for WordPress
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Fedify | ActivityPub for WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,026 | ★ 583 |
| First released | 2024 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Medium |
What are Fedify and ActivityPub for WordPress?
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
ActivityPub for WordPress
The ActivityPub plugin lets a self-hosted WordPress site federate with the fediverse, so people can follow blog posts from Mastodon and other ActivityPub software. It also delivers comments back as replies.
- Federates WordPress posts
- Follow blogs from Mastodon
- Comments as replies
- Official Automattic plugin
Fedify vs ActivityPub for WordPress: key differences
Fedify is written in TypeScript, while ActivityPub for WordPress is built with PHP. ActivityPub for WordPress is the more established project (first released 2019), while Fedify arrived in 2024.
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 ActivityPub for WordPress if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Fedify or ActivityPub for WordPress better?
Neither is universally better. Fedify has the larger community, while ActivityPub for WordPress is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Fedify and ActivityPub for WordPress free and open-source?
Yes. Fedify is licensed under MIT and ActivityPub for WordPress under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fedify and ActivityPub for WordPress with Docker?
Fedify: check the project docs for container support. ActivityPub for WordPress: check the project docs for container support.