Pleroma vs WriteFreely
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
WriteFreely
Minimalist federated blogging platform
| Feature | Pleroma | WriteFreely |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Elixir | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,200 | ★ 5,216 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Tumblr | Medium, Tumblr |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Pleroma or WriteFreely better?
WriteFreely is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pleroma if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Pleroma and WriteFreely free and open-source?
Yes. Pleroma is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WriteFreely under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pleroma and WriteFreely with Docker?
Pleroma: yes. WriteFreely: yes.