Phanpy vs Takahe
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Phanpy | Takahe |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 18 · At risk |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 100 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,492 | ★ 1,172 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Phanpy and Takahe?
Phanpy
Minimalistic opinionated Fediverse ⁂ web client.
Takahe
Takahe is an ActivityPub server that can host multiple domains and identities from a single deployment. It is designed for those who want to run several fediverse personas without separate installations.
- Multi-domain hosting
- Multiple identities per user
- Stateless workers
- ActivityPub federation
Phanpy vs Takahe: key differences
Phanpy is written in JavaScript, while Takahe is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Phanpy versus BSD-3-Clause for Takahe. Phanpy is the lighter option, starting around 100 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Takahe. Takahe is the more established project (first released 2022), while Phanpy arrived in 2024. Takahe 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 Takahe if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Phanpy or Takahe better?
Phanpy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Takahe if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Phanpy and Takahe free and open-source?
Yes. Phanpy is licensed under MIT and Takahe under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Phanpy and Takahe with Docker?
Phanpy: check the project docs for container support. Takahe: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Phanpy or Takahe?
Phanpy has the smaller minimum footprint at 100 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Takahe. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.