Hollo vs Hometown
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Hollo | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 81 · Excellent |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 489 | ★ 823 |
| First released | 2024 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Hollo and Hometown?
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
Hometown
Hometown is a friendly fork of Mastodon that adds local-only posting, full-text content support, and other community-oriented features. It is aimed at small, close-knit fediverse instances.
- Local-only posts
- Full-text content
- Mastodon compatibility
- Small-community focus
Hollo vs Hometown: key differences
Hollo is written in TypeScript, while Hometown is built with Ruby. Hollo is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Hometown. Hometown is the more established project (first released 2019), while Hollo arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Hometown if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Ruby
Frequently asked questions
Is Hollo or Hometown better?
Neither is universally better. Hometown 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 Hollo and Hometown free and open-source?
Yes. Hollo is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Hometown under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hollo and Hometown with Docker?
Hollo: yes. Hometown: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Hollo or Hometown?
Hollo has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Hometown. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.