Gathio vs Mobilizon
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Gathio
Simple, federated event hosting without accounts
VS
Mobilizon
Federated tool for events and groups
| Feature | Gathio | Mobilizon |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Elixir |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 464 | ★ 1,500 |
| First released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Facebook Events, Eventbrite | Facebook Events, Meetup |
What are Gathio and Mobilizon?
Gathio
Gathio is a lightweight platform for creating and sharing event pages without requiring users to register accounts. Events are private by default and editable through a secret link.
- No-account event pages
- Editable via secret link
- ActivityPub support
- Lightweight deployment
Mobilizon
Mobilizon is a free, open-source, federated platform for organizing events and managing groups. It is an alternative to Facebook Events and Meetup, federating via ActivityPub.
- Event creation and discovery
- Group management
- ActivityPub federation
- No tracking or ads
Gathio vs Mobilizon: key differences
Gathio is written in TypeScript, while Mobilizon is built with Elixir. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Gathio versus AGPL-3.0 for Mobilizon. Gathio is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Mobilizon. Mobilizon has the considerably larger community, at 1,500 GitHub stars versus 464.
Why pick each one
Choose Gathio if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Mobilizon if…
- Privacy-respecting events
- Federates with the fediverse
Watch out for
- Smaller user base
- Elixir hosting expertise needed
Frequently asked questions
Is Gathio or Mobilizon better?
Neither is universally better. Mobilizon has the larger community, while Gathio is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Gathio and Mobilizon free and open-source?
Yes. Gathio is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Mobilizon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gathio and Mobilizon with Docker?
Gathio: yes. Mobilizon: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gathio or Mobilizon?
Gathio has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Mobilizon. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.