Hubzilla vs Streams
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
Streams
Decentralized social server with nomadic identity
| Feature | Hubzilla | Streams |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 380 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Google+ | Facebook, Mastodon |
What are Hubzilla and Streams?
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
Streams
Streams is a free, decentralized social communication server that supports nomadic identity, letting accounts move and clone between instances. It federates with the fediverse and offers fine-grained permissions.
- Nomadic identity
- Account cloning across servers
- Fediverse federation
- Granular permissions
Hubzilla vs Streams: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Hubzilla is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Streams. Hubzilla is the more established project (first released 2015), while Streams arrived in 2021. Hubzilla has the considerably larger community, at 380 GitHub stars versus 100.
Why pick each one
Choose Hubzilla if…
- Unique nomadic identity
- Very feature-rich
Watch out for
- Complex to learn
- Niche community
Choose Streams if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Hubzilla or Streams 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 Streams free and open-source?
Yes. Hubzilla is licensed under MIT and Streams under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hubzilla and Streams with Docker?
Hubzilla: yes. Streams: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Hubzilla or Streams?
Hubzilla has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Streams. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.