Friendica vs ActivityPub for WordPress
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
ActivityPub for WordPress
Turn a WordPress blog into a fediverse actor
| Feature | Friendica | ActivityPub for WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,690 | ★ 583 |
| First released | 2010 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | Twitter, Medium |
What are Friendica and ActivityPub for WordPress?
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
ActivityPub for WordPress
The ActivityPub plugin lets a self-hosted WordPress site federate with the fediverse, so people can follow blog posts from Mastodon and other ActivityPub software. It also delivers comments back as replies.
- Federates WordPress posts
- Follow blogs from Mastodon
- Comments as replies
- Official Automattic plugin
Friendica vs ActivityPub for WordPress: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Friendica versus MIT for ActivityPub for WordPress. ActivityPub for WordPress is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Friendica. Friendica is the more established project (first released 2010), while ActivityPub for WordPress arrived in 2019. Friendica has the considerably larger community, at 1,690 GitHub stars versus 583. Friendica lists first-class Docker deployment; ActivityPub for WordPress 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 ActivityPub for WordPress if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Friendica or ActivityPub for WordPress better?
Neither is universally better. Friendica has the larger community, while ActivityPub for WordPress is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Friendica and ActivityPub for WordPress free and open-source?
Yes. Friendica is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ActivityPub for WordPress under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Friendica and ActivityPub for WordPress with Docker?
Friendica: yes. ActivityPub for WordPress: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Friendica or ActivityPub for WordPress?
ActivityPub for WordPress has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Friendica. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.