Friendica vs Streams
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
Streams
Decentralized social server with nomadic identity
| Feature | Friendica | Streams |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,690 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2010 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | Facebook, Mastodon |
What are Friendica and Streams?
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
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
Friendica vs Streams: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Friendica versus MIT for Streams. Friendica is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Streams. Friendica is the more established project (first released 2010), while Streams arrived in 2021. Friendica has the considerably larger community, at 1,690 GitHub stars versus 100.
Why pick each one
Choose Friendica if…
- Connects to multiple protocols
- Facebook-like experience
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Smaller user base
Choose Streams if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Friendica or Streams better?
Friendica is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Streams if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Friendica and Streams free and open-source?
Yes. Friendica is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Streams under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Friendica and Streams with Docker?
Friendica: yes. Streams: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Friendica or Streams?
Friendica has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Streams. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.