HumHub vs WriteFreely
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?
HumHub
Open-source social network for communities
VS
WriteFreely
Minimalist federated blogging platform
| Feature | HumHub | WriteFreely |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,716 | ★ 5,216 |
| First released | 2014 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Facebook Workplace, Yammer | Medium, Tumblr |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is HumHub or WriteFreely better?
Neither is universally better. HumHub has the larger community, while WriteFreely is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are HumHub and WriteFreely free and open-source?
Yes. HumHub is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WriteFreely under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run HumHub and WriteFreely with Docker?
HumHub: yes. WriteFreely: yes.