Misskey vs Sharkey
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Misskey
Decentralized fediverse platform with rich features
VS
Sharkey
Feature-rich Misskey fork for the fediverse
| Feature | Misskey | Sharkey |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,328 | ★ 600 |
| First released | 2014 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Tumblr | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Misskey and Sharkey?
Misskey
Misskey is a free, open-source, decentralized social media platform powered by ActivityPub. It is known for its customizable UI, reactions, and interactive features beyond standard microblogging.
- ActivityPub federation
- Custom emoji reactions
- Highly customizable UI
- Built-in pages and widgets
Sharkey
Sharkey is a feature-rich fork of Misskey that adds quote posts, improved moderation, and additional customization for fediverse instances. It supports a rich timeline with reactions and drive file storage.
- Quote posts and reactions
- Drive file storage
- Extensive customization
- Improved moderation
Misskey vs Sharkey: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Misskey is the more established project (first released 2014), while Sharkey arrived in 2023. Misskey has the considerably larger community, at 11,328 GitHub stars versus 600.
Why pick each one
Choose Misskey if…
- Rich, playful feature set
- Active development
Watch out for
- Resource-intensive
- Complex configuration
Choose Sharkey if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Misskey or Sharkey better?
Neither is universally better. Misskey has the larger community, while Sharkey is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Misskey and Sharkey free and open-source?
Yes. Misskey is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Sharkey under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Misskey and Sharkey with Docker?
Misskey: yes. Sharkey: yes.