Glitch-soc vs Nitter
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Glitch-soc
Community-maintained Mastodon fork with extra features
VS
Nitter
Alternative front-end for Twitter that respects your privacy
| Feature | Glitch-soc | Nitter |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0-only |
| Language | Ruby | Nim |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 801 | ★ 13,408 |
| First released | 2017 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | X |
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 Nitter if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 13.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Nim
Frequently asked questions
Is Glitch-soc or Nitter better?
Nitter is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Glitch-soc if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Glitch-soc and Nitter free and open-source?
Yes. Glitch-soc is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Nitter under AGPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glitch-soc and Nitter with Docker?
Glitch-soc: yes. Nitter: check the project docs for container support.