Pleroma vs Sharkey
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pleroma
Lightweight fediverse microblogging server
VS
Sharkey
Feature-rich Misskey fork for the fediverse
| Feature | Pleroma | Sharkey |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Elixir | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,200 | ★ 600 |
| First released | 2017 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Tumblr | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Pleroma and Sharkey?
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
Sharkey
Sharkey is a feature-rich fork of Misskey that adds quote posts, improved moderation, and additional customization for fediverse instances. It supports a rich timeline with reactions and drive file storage.
- Quote posts and reactions
- Drive file storage
- Extensive customization
- Improved moderation
Pleroma vs Sharkey: key differences
Pleroma is written in Elixir, while Sharkey is built with TypeScript. Pleroma is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Sharkey. Pleroma is the more established project (first released 2017), while Sharkey arrived in 2023. Pleroma has the considerably larger community, at 2,200 GitHub stars versus 600.
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 Sharkey if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Pleroma or Sharkey better?
Neither is universally better. Pleroma has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pleroma and Sharkey free and open-source?
Yes. Pleroma is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Sharkey under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pleroma and Sharkey with Docker?
Pleroma: yes. Sharkey: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pleroma or Sharkey?
Pleroma has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Sharkey. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.