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.
Hubzilla
Decentralized identity and social platform
VS
Osada
ActivityPub social server with nomadic features
| Feature | Hubzilla | Osada |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| 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 |
What are Hubzilla and Osada?
Hubzilla
Hubzilla is a free, open-source platform for creating interconnected websites with decentralized identity, social networking, file storage, and content management features.
- Nomadic decentralized identity
- Social networking and CMS
- Cloud file storage
- Fine-grained permissions
Osada
Osada is a decentralized social networking server that speaks the ActivityPub protocol while incorporating nomadic identity concepts from the Zot ecosystem. It federates with Mastodon and other fediverse software.
- ActivityPub social server
- Nomadic identity features
- Federates with the fediverse
Hubzilla vs Osada: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Hubzilla is the more established project (first released 2015), while Osada arrived in 2018. Hubzilla has the considerably larger community, at 380 GitHub stars versus 20. Hubzilla lists first-class Docker deployment; Osada does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Hubzilla if…
- Unique nomadic identity
- Very feature-rich
Watch out for
- Complex to learn
- Niche community
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.