Mastodon 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?
Mastodon
Decentralized open-source microblogging server
VS
OSSN
Social networking software that allows you to make a social networking
| Feature | Mastodon | OSSN |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | CAL-1.0 |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 50,177 | ★ 1,236 |
| First released | 2016 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Twitter, X | — |
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 Mastodon or OSSN better?
Neither is universally better. Mastodon has the larger community, while OSSN is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mastodon and OSSN free and open-source?
Yes. Mastodon is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and OSSN under CAL-1.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mastodon and OSSN with Docker?
Mastodon: yes. OSSN: check the project docs for container support.