Hubzilla vs Socialhome
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
Socialhome
Federated personal social home pages
| Feature | Hubzilla | Socialhome |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 380 | ★ 381 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Google+ | Tumblr, Facebook |
What are Hubzilla and Socialhome?
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
Socialhome
Socialhome is a federated, open-source social network where users build a customizable home page of content. It federates over ActivityPub and the Diaspora protocol.
- Customizable home page grid
- ActivityPub and Diaspora federation
- Content streams
- Markdown support
Hubzilla vs Socialhome: key differences
Hubzilla is written in PHP, while Socialhome is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Hubzilla versus AGPL-3.0 for Socialhome.
Why pick each one
Choose Hubzilla if…
- Unique nomadic identity
- Very feature-rich
Watch out for
- Complex to learn
- Niche community
Choose Socialhome if…
- Unique personal-page focus
- Multi-protocol federation
Watch out for
- Small community
- Slower development
Frequently asked questions
Is Hubzilla or Socialhome better?
Socialhome is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Hubzilla if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Hubzilla and Socialhome free and open-source?
Yes. Hubzilla is licensed under MIT and Socialhome under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hubzilla and Socialhome with Docker?
Hubzilla: yes. Socialhome: yes.