Loops vs Tube
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | Loops | Tube |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0-or-later | MIT |
| Language | PHP | |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 350 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 437 | — |
| First released | 2025 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube | Dailymotion, Vimeo, YouTube |
Why pick each one
Choose Loops if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-or-later license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 350 MB RAM
Choose Tube if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Loops or Tube better?
Neither is universally better. Loops has the larger community, while Tube is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Loops and Tube free and open-source?
Yes. Loops is licensed under AGPL-3.0-or-later and Tube under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Loops and Tube with Docker?
Loops: check the project docs for container support. Tube: check the project docs for container support.