Glitch-soc vs Hollo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Hollo
Single-user federated microblogging server
| Feature | Glitch-soc | Hollo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 803 | ★ 489 |
| First released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Glitch-soc and Hollo?
Glitch-soc
Glitch-soc is a community-maintained fork of Mastodon that adds experimental features and customization options ahead of upstream. It federates fully with the rest of the fediverse over ActivityPub.
- Extra customization options
- Experimental features
- Full fediverse federation
- Themeable interface
Hollo
Hollo is a federated single-user microblogging server compatible with the Mastodon client API. It is designed for individuals who want their own ActivityPub presence without running a multi-user instance.
- Single-user microblog
- Mastodon API compatible
- ActivityPub federation
- Markdown posts
Glitch-soc vs Hollo: key differences
Glitch-soc is written in Ruby, while Hollo is built with TypeScript. Hollo is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Glitch-soc. Glitch-soc is the more established project (first released 2017), while Hollo arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Glitch-soc if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Ruby
Choose Hollo if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Glitch-soc or Hollo better?
Neither is universally better. Glitch-soc has the larger community, while Hollo is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Glitch-soc and Hollo free and open-source?
Yes. Glitch-soc is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Hollo under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glitch-soc and Hollo with Docker?
Glitch-soc: yes. Hollo: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Glitch-soc or Hollo?
Hollo has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Glitch-soc. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.