Friendica vs snac
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
snac
Minimalist ActivityPub server in C
| Feature | Friendica | snac |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,690 | ★ 900 |
| First released | 2010 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Friendica and snac?
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
snac
snac is a minimalist, lightweight ActivityPub instance server written in C with very low resource requirements. It implements the core fediverse features without a database or heavy runtime.
- Tiny C implementation
- No database needed
- ActivityPub federation
- Runs on minimal hardware
Friendica vs snac: key differences
Friendica is written in PHP, while snac is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Friendica versus MIT for snac. Snac is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Friendica. Friendica is the more established project (first released 2010), while snac arrived in 2022. Friendica lists first-class Docker deployment; snac does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Friendica if…
- Connects to multiple protocols
- Facebook-like experience
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Smaller user base
Choose snac if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Friendica or snac 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 Friendica and snac free and open-source?
Yes. Friendica is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and snac under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Friendica and snac with Docker?
Friendica: yes. snac: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Friendica or snac?
snac has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Friendica. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.