Pixelfed vs Vanilla Forums
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?
Pixelfed
Federated photo-sharing social platform
VS
Vanilla Forums
Open-source community forum software
| Feature | Pixelfed | Vanilla Forums |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,055 | ★ 2,800 |
| First released | 2018 | 2009 |
| Replaces | phpBB, Discourse |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Pixelfed or Vanilla Forums better?
Neither is universally better. Pixelfed has the larger community, while Vanilla Forums is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Pixelfed and Vanilla Forums free and open-source?
Yes. Pixelfed is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Vanilla Forums under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pixelfed and Vanilla Forums with Docker?
Pixelfed: yes. Vanilla Forums: yes.