Firefish vs Friendica
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Friendica
Decentralized social network with broad federation
| Feature | Firefish | Friendica |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,300 | ★ 1,690 |
| First released | 2022 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Facebook, Twitter |
What are Firefish and Friendica?
Firefish
Firefish is an open-source, decentralized social media platform built on ActivityPub with extensive interface customization. It includes a built-in post translator, reactions, and a flexible timeline.
- Highly customizable UI
- Post reactions
- Built-in translation
- Federated timelines
Friendica
Friendica is a free, open-source decentralized social network. It connects to the fediverse and other networks, offering a Facebook-style experience with groups, photos, and events.
- Federates with many networks
- Groups and forums
- Photo albums and events
- Addon system
Firefish vs Friendica: key differences
Firefish is written in TypeScript, while Friendica is built with PHP. Friendica is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Firefish. Friendica is the more established project (first released 2010), while Firefish arrived in 2022.
Why pick each one
Choose Firefish if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Friendica if…
- Connects to multiple protocols
- Facebook-like experience
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Smaller user base
Frequently asked questions
Is Firefish 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 Firefish and Friendica free and open-source?
Yes. Firefish is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Friendica under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Firefish and Friendica with Docker?
Firefish: yes. Friendica: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Firefish or Friendica?
Friendica has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Firefish. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.