Mastodon vs Pixelfed
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
Pixelfed
Federated photo-sharing social platform
| Feature | Mastodon | Pixelfed |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 50,177 | ★ 7,055 |
| First released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Twitter, X |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Mastodon or Pixelfed better?
Neither is universally better. Mastodon has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mastodon and Pixelfed free and open-source?
Yes. Mastodon is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Pixelfed under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mastodon and Pixelfed with Docker?
Mastodon: yes. Pixelfed: yes.