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.
Not the right match-up?
Smithereen
Federated social network with a familiar layout
VS
Socialhome
Federated personal social home pages
| Feature | Smithereen | Socialhome |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 547 | ★ 384 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Facebook, VK | Tumblr, Facebook |
Why pick each one
Choose Smithereen if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
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.