Lemmy vs Soapbox
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 | Lemmy | Soapbox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,538 | ★ 700 |
| First released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Twitter app |
Why pick each one
Choose Soapbox if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Lemmy or Soapbox 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 Soapbox free and open-source?
Yes. Lemmy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Soapbox under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lemmy and Soapbox with Docker?
Lemmy: yes. Soapbox: check the project docs for container support.