Phanpy vs Sharkey
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Phanpy
Minimalistic opinionated Fediverse ⁂ web client
VS
Sharkey
Feature-rich Misskey fork for the fediverse
| Feature | Phanpy | Sharkey |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 100 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,492 | ★ 600 |
| First released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Phanpy and Sharkey?
Phanpy
Minimalistic opinionated Fediverse ⁂ web client.
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
Phanpy vs Sharkey: key differences
Phanpy is written in JavaScript, while Sharkey is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Phanpy versus AGPL-3.0 for Sharkey. Phanpy is the lighter option, starting around 100 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Sharkey. Phanpy has the considerably larger community, at 1,492 GitHub stars versus 600. Sharkey lists first-class Docker deployment; Phanpy does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Phanpy if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Sharkey if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Phanpy or Sharkey better?
Phanpy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Sharkey if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Phanpy and Sharkey free and open-source?
Yes. Phanpy is licensed under MIT and Sharkey under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Phanpy and Sharkey with Docker?
Phanpy: check the project docs for container support. Sharkey: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Phanpy or Sharkey?
Phanpy has the smaller minimum footprint at 100 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Sharkey. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.