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.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | Phanpy | snac |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 1,472 | ★ 900 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads | Twitter, Mastodon |
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.