Forte vs Streams
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Forte
open source ActivityPub/fediverse server
VS
Streams
Decentralized social server with nomadic identity
| Feature | Forte | Streams |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | Unlicense | MIT |
| Language | PHP | |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2025 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Threads, Tumblr | Facebook, Mastodon |
What are Forte and Streams?
Forte
open source ActivityPub/fediverse server.
Streams
Streams is a free, decentralized social communication server that supports nomadic identity, letting accounts move and clone between instances. It federates with the fediverse and offers fine-grained permissions.
- Nomadic identity
- Account cloning across servers
- Fediverse federation
- Granular permissions
Forte vs Streams: key differences
Licensing differs — Unlicense for Forte versus MIT for Streams. Forte is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Streams. Streams is the more established project (first released 2021), while Forte arrived in 2025. Streams lists first-class Docker deployment; Forte does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Forte if…
- Released under the Unlicense license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Choose Streams if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Forte or Streams better?
Neither is universally better. Streams has the larger community, while Forte is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Forte and Streams free and open-source?
Yes. Forte is licensed under Unlicense and Streams under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Forte and Streams with Docker?
Forte: check the project docs for container support. Streams: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Forte or Streams?
Forte has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Streams. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.