Hubzilla vs Osada
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?
Hubzilla
Decentralized identity and social platform
VS
Osada
ActivityPub social server with nomadic features
| Feature | Hubzilla | Osada |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 380 | ★ 20 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Google+ | Facebook, Twitter |
Why pick each one
Choose Osada if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Hubzilla or Osada better?
Neither is universally better. Hubzilla has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Hubzilla and Osada free and open-source?
Yes. Hubzilla is licensed under MIT and Osada under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hubzilla and Osada with Docker?
Hubzilla: yes. Osada: check the project docs for container support.