Friendica vs Mastodon
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
VS
Mastodon
Decentralized open-source microblogging server
| Feature | Friendica | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,690 | ★ 50,319 |
| First released | 2010 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | Twitter, X |
What are Friendica and Mastodon?
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
Mastodon
Mastodon is a free, open-source decentralized social network and microblogging server. It is part of the fediverse, federating with other ActivityPub servers so users can follow accounts across instances.
- ActivityPub federation
- Chronological timelines
- Content warnings and moderation tools
- Rich third-party app ecosystem
Friendica vs Mastodon: key differences
Friendica is written in PHP, while Mastodon is built with Ruby. Friendica is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Mastodon. Friendica is the more established project (first released 2010), while Mastodon arrived in 2016. Mastodon has the considerably larger community, at 50,319 GitHub stars versus 1,690.
Why pick each one
Choose Friendica if…
- Connects to multiple protocols
- Facebook-like experience
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Smaller user base
Choose Mastodon if…
- Large fediverse network
- Strong moderation features
Watch out for
- Resource-heavy to host
- Operationally complex
Frequently asked questions
Is Friendica or Mastodon better?
Neither is universally better. Mastodon has the larger community, while Friendica is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Friendica and Mastodon free and open-source?
Yes. Friendica is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mastodon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Friendica and Mastodon with Docker?
Friendica: yes. Mastodon: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Friendica or Mastodon?
Friendica has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Mastodon. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.