Forte vs Zap
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?
Forte
open source ActivityPub/fediverse server
VS
Zap
Decentralized social network with nomadic identity
| Feature | Forte | Zap |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | Unlicense | MIT |
| Language | PHP | |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 50 |
| First released | 2025 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Threads, Tumblr | Facebook, Twitter |
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 Zap if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Forte or Zap better?
Neither is universally better. Zap 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 Zap free and open-source?
Yes. Forte is licensed under Unlicense and Zap under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Forte and Zap with Docker?
Forte: check the project docs for container support. Zap: check the project docs for container support.