Smithereen vs Socialhome
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Socialhome
Federated personal social home pages
| Feature | Smithereen | Socialhome |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 59 · Fair |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 546 | ★ 381 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Facebook, VK | Tumblr, Facebook |
What are Smithereen and Socialhome?
Smithereen
Smithereen is a federated, ActivityPub-powered social network whose interface is inspired by classic social media layouts. It supports friends, walls, photo albums, and groups across the fediverse.
- Classic social layout
- Friend and wall model
- Photo albums
- Fediverse groups
Socialhome
Socialhome is a federated, open-source social network where users build a customizable home page of content. It federates over ActivityPub and the Diaspora protocol.
- Customizable home page grid
- ActivityPub and Diaspora federation
- Content streams
- Markdown support
Smithereen vs Socialhome: key differences
Smithereen is written in Java, while Socialhome is built with Python. Socialhome is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Smithereen. Socialhome is the more established project (first released 2016), while Smithereen arrived in 2020.
Why pick each one
Choose Smithereen if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
Choose Socialhome if…
- Unique personal-page focus
- Multi-protocol federation
Watch out for
- Small community
- Slower development
Frequently asked questions
Is Smithereen or Socialhome better?
Neither is universally better. Smithereen has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Smithereen and Socialhome free and open-source?
Yes. Smithereen is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Socialhome under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Smithereen and Socialhome with Docker?
Smithereen: yes. Socialhome: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Smithereen or Socialhome?
Socialhome has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Smithereen. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.