Honk vs Streams
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?
Honk
Opinionated single-user ActivityPub server
VS
Streams
Decentralized social server with nomadic identity
| Feature | Honk | Streams |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | ISC | MIT |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 400 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Facebook, Mastodon |
Why pick each one
Choose Honk if…
- Released under the ISC license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Streams if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Honk or Streams better?
Honk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Streams if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Honk and Streams free and open-source?
Yes. Honk is licensed under ISC and Streams under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Honk and Streams with Docker?
Honk: check the project docs for container support. Streams: yes.