Iceshrimp vs Pleroma
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pleroma
Lightweight fediverse microblogging server
| Feature | Iceshrimp | Pleroma |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Elixir |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 2,200 |
| First released | 2023 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Twitter, Tumblr |
What are Iceshrimp and Pleroma?
Iceshrimp
Iceshrimp is a decentralized, ActivityPub-compatible microblogging server derived from Misskey with a focus on stability and reduced resource use. It offers a familiar fediverse experience with custom emoji and reactions.
- Misskey-compatible features
- Custom emoji reactions
- Lower resource usage
- ActivityPub federation
Pleroma
Pleroma is a lightweight, free, open-source social networking server compatible with the fediverse. It implements ActivityPub and the Mastodon API while using fewer resources than Mastodon.
- ActivityPub federation
- Mastodon API compatible
- Low resource footprint
- Multiple frontends supported
Iceshrimp vs Pleroma: key differences
Iceshrimp is written in TypeScript, while Pleroma is built with Elixir. Pleroma is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Iceshrimp. Pleroma is the more established project (first released 2017), while Iceshrimp arrived in 2023. Pleroma has the considerably larger community, at 2,200 GitHub stars versus 300.
Why pick each one
Choose Iceshrimp if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Pleroma if…
- Runs on small servers
- Compatible with Mastodon apps
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Less polished admin tools
Frequently asked questions
Is Iceshrimp or Pleroma better?
Neither is universally better. Pleroma has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Iceshrimp and Pleroma free and open-source?
Yes. Iceshrimp is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Pleroma under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Iceshrimp and Pleroma with Docker?
Iceshrimp: yes. Pleroma: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Iceshrimp or Pleroma?
Pleroma has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Iceshrimp. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.