Hollo vs pump.io
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Hollo | pump.io |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 48 · Fair |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 489 | ★ 2,237 |
| First released | 2024 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Hollo and pump.io?
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
pump.io
pump.io is a stream server that lets users post activities to their followers and to the web, implementing the Activity Streams format. It can be self-hosted as a personal social networking node.
- Activity Streams social server
- Personal social networking node
- Federation support
Hollo vs pump.io: key differences
Hollo is written in TypeScript, while pump.io is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Hollo versus Apache-2.0 for pump.io. Pump.io is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Hollo. Pump.io is the more established project (first released 2013), while Hollo arrived in 2024. Pump.io has the considerably larger community, at 2,237 GitHub stars versus 489. Hollo lists first-class Docker deployment; pump.io does not.
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 pump.io if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Hollo or pump.io better?
Neither is universally better. pump.io has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Hollo and pump.io free and open-source?
Yes. Hollo is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and pump.io under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hollo and pump.io with Docker?
Hollo: yes. pump.io: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Hollo or pump.io?
pump.io has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Hollo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.