Hubzilla vs Zap
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
Zap
Decentralized social network with nomadic identity
| Feature | Hubzilla | Zap |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 50 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Google+ | Facebook, Twitter |
What are Hubzilla and Zap?
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
Zap
Zap is a decentralized communications platform from the Hubzilla and Streams lineage that supports nomadic identity, letting accounts move between servers. It federates over multiple protocols including ActivityPub.
- Nomadic identity
- Multi-protocol federation
- Account portability
- Fine-grained permissions
Hubzilla vs Zap: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Hubzilla is the more established project (first released 2015), while Zap arrived in 2018. Hubzilla has the considerably larger community, at 380 GitHub stars versus 50. Hubzilla lists first-class Docker deployment; Zap does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Hubzilla if…
- Unique nomadic identity
- Very feature-rich
Watch out for
- Complex to learn
- Niche community
Choose Zap if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Hubzilla or Zap 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 Zap free and open-source?
Yes. Hubzilla is licensed under MIT and Zap under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hubzilla and Zap with Docker?
Hubzilla: yes. Zap: check the project docs for container support.