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.
Not the right match-up?
Friendica
Decentralized social network with broad federation
VS
Mastodon
Decentralized open-source microblogging server
| Feature | Friendica | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 1,680 | ★ 50,177 |
| First released | 2010 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | Twitter, X |
Why pick each one
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.