Loomio vs Mastodon
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?
Loomio
Collaborative decision-making tool that makes it easy for anyone to
VS
Mastodon
Decentralized open-source microblogging server
| Feature | Loomio | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,588 | ★ 50,177 |
| First released | 2026 | 2016 |
| Replaces | — | Twitter, X |
Why pick each one
Choose Loomio if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Ruby
Frequently asked questions
Is Loomio or Mastodon better?
Neither is universally better. Mastodon has the larger community, while Loomio is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Loomio and Mastodon free and open-source?
Yes. Loomio is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mastodon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Loomio and Mastodon with Docker?
Loomio: yes. Mastodon: yes.