Invidious vs Pixelfed
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?
| Feature | Invidious | Pixelfed |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | GPL-3.0-only | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Crystal | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,442 | ★ 7,055 |
| First released | 2023 | 2018 |
| Replaces | YouTube |
Why pick each one
Choose Invidious if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-only license
- Mature project with 22.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Crystal
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Invidious or Pixelfed better?
Invidious is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Pixelfed if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Invidious and Pixelfed free and open-source?
Yes. Invidious is licensed under GPL-3.0-only and Pixelfed under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Invidious and Pixelfed with Docker?
Invidious: check the project docs for container support. Pixelfed: yes.