Lemmy vs OSSN
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?
Lemmy
Federated link aggregator and forum
VS
OSSN
Social networking software that allows you to make a social networking
| Feature | Lemmy | OSSN |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | CAL-1.0 |
| Language | Rust | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,538 | ★ 1,236 |
| First released | 2019 | 2026 |
| Replaces | — |
Why pick each one
Choose OSSN if…
- Released under the CAL-1.0 license
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Lemmy or OSSN better?
Neither is universally better. Lemmy has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Lemmy and OSSN free and open-source?
Yes. Lemmy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and OSSN under CAL-1.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lemmy and OSSN with Docker?
Lemmy: yes. OSSN: check the project docs for container support.