Hollo vs Pleroma
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
VS
Pleroma
Lightweight fediverse microblogging server
| Feature | Hollo | Pleroma |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Elixir |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 489 | ★ 2,200 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Twitter, Tumblr |
What are Hollo and Pleroma?
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
Pleroma
Pleroma is a lightweight, free, open-source social networking server compatible with the fediverse. It implements ActivityPub and the Mastodon API while using fewer resources than Mastodon.
- ActivityPub federation
- Mastodon API compatible
- Low resource footprint
- Multiple frontends supported
Hollo vs Pleroma: key differences
Hollo is written in TypeScript, while Pleroma is built with Elixir. Pleroma is the more established project (first released 2017), while Hollo arrived in 2024. Pleroma has the considerably larger community, at 2,200 GitHub stars versus 489.
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 Pleroma if…
- Runs on small servers
- Compatible with Mastodon apps
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Less polished admin tools
Frequently asked questions
Is Hollo or Pleroma better?
Neither is universally better. Pleroma has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Hollo and Pleroma free and open-source?
Yes. Hollo is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Pleroma under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hollo and Pleroma with Docker?
Hollo: yes. Pleroma: yes.