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.
Not the right match-up?
Pleroma
Lightweight fediverse microblogging server
VS
Sharkey
Feature-rich Misskey fork for the fediverse
| Feature | Pleroma | Sharkey |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Why pick each one
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.