Phanpy vs snac
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Phanpy | snac |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 100 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,492 | ★ 900 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Phanpy and snac?
Phanpy
Minimalistic opinionated Fediverse ⁂ web client.
snac
snac is a minimalist, lightweight ActivityPub instance server written in C with very low resource requirements. It implements the core fediverse features without a database or heavy runtime.
- Tiny C implementation
- No database needed
- ActivityPub federation
- Runs on minimal hardware
Phanpy vs snac: key differences
Phanpy is written in JavaScript, while snac is built with C. Snac is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 100 MB for Phanpy. Snac is the more established project (first released 2022), while Phanpy arrived in 2024.
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 snac if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Phanpy or snac better?
Phanpy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider snac if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Phanpy and snac free and open-source?
Yes. Phanpy is licensed under MIT and snac under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Phanpy and snac with Docker?
Phanpy: check the project docs for container support. snac: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Phanpy or snac?
snac has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 100 MB for Phanpy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.