Pleroma vs pump.io
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Pleroma | pump.io |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Elixir | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,200 | ★ 2,237 |
| First released | 2017 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Tumblr |
What are Pleroma and pump.io?
Pleroma
Pleroma is a lightweight, free, open-source social networking server compatible with the fediverse. It implements ActivityPub and the Mastodon API while using fewer resources than Mastodon.
- ActivityPub federation
- Mastodon API compatible
- Low resource footprint
- Multiple frontends supported
pump.io
pump.io is a stream server that lets users post activities to their followers and to the web, implementing the Activity Streams format. It can be self-hosted as a personal social networking node.
- Activity Streams social server
- Personal social networking node
- Federation support
Pleroma vs pump.io: key differences
Pleroma is written in Elixir, while pump.io is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Pleroma versus Apache-2.0 for pump.io. Pump.io is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Pleroma. Pump.io is the more established project (first released 2013), while Pleroma arrived in 2017. Pleroma lists first-class Docker deployment; pump.io does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Pleroma if…
- Runs on small servers
- Compatible with Mastodon apps
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Less polished admin tools
Choose pump.io if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Pleroma or pump.io better?
Neither is universally better. pump.io has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pleroma and pump.io free and open-source?
Yes. Pleroma is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and pump.io under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pleroma and pump.io with Docker?
Pleroma: yes. pump.io: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Pleroma or pump.io?
pump.io has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Pleroma. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.