Iceshrimp.NET vs Mastodon
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?
Iceshrimp.NET
Federated microblogging server that communicates over ActivityPub
VS
Mastodon
Decentralized open-source microblogging server
| Feature | Iceshrimp.NET | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | .NET | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 50,177 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | — | Twitter, X |
Why pick each one
Choose Iceshrimp.NET if…
- Released under the EUPL-1.2 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in .NET
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Iceshrimp.NET or Mastodon better?
Neither is universally better. Mastodon has the larger community, while Iceshrimp.NET is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Iceshrimp.NET and Mastodon free and open-source?
Yes. Iceshrimp.NET is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and Mastodon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Iceshrimp.NET and Mastodon with Docker?
Iceshrimp.NET: yes. Mastodon: yes.