Iceshrimp vs Streams
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Iceshrimp | Streams |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2023 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Facebook, Mastodon |
What are Iceshrimp and Streams?
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
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
Iceshrimp vs Streams: key differences
Iceshrimp is written in TypeScript, while Streams is built with PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Iceshrimp versus MIT for Streams. Streams is the more established project (first released 2021), while Iceshrimp arrived in 2023. Iceshrimp has the considerably larger community, at 300 GitHub stars versus 100.
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 Streams if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Iceshrimp or Streams better?
Iceshrimp is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Streams if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Iceshrimp and Streams free and open-source?
Yes. Iceshrimp is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Streams under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Iceshrimp and Streams with Docker?
Iceshrimp: yes. Streams: yes.