Lemmy vs Tesseract
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
Tesseract
Media-focused alternative web interface for Lemmy
| Feature | Lemmy | Tesseract |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | Svelte |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,538 | ★ 3 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces |
Why pick each one
Choose Tesseract if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Svelte
Frequently asked questions
Is Lemmy or Tesseract better?
Neither is universally better. Lemmy has the larger community, while Tesseract is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Lemmy and Tesseract free and open-source?
Yes. Lemmy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tesseract under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lemmy and Tesseract with Docker?
Lemmy: yes. Tesseract: yes.