Socialhome vs Streams
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
VS
Streams
Decentralized social server with nomadic identity
| Feature | Socialhome | Streams |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 381 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2016 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Tumblr, Facebook | Facebook, Mastodon |
What are Socialhome and Streams?
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
Streams
Streams is a free, decentralized social communication server that supports nomadic identity, letting accounts move and clone between instances. It federates with the fediverse and offers fine-grained permissions.
- Nomadic identity
- Account cloning across servers
- Fediverse federation
- Granular permissions
Socialhome vs Streams: key differences
Socialhome is written in Python, while Streams is built with PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Socialhome versus MIT for Streams. Socialhome is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Streams. Socialhome is the more established project (first released 2016), while Streams arrived in 2021. Socialhome has the considerably larger community, at 381 GitHub stars versus 100.
Why pick each one
Choose Socialhome if…
- Unique personal-page focus
- Multi-protocol federation
Watch out for
- Small community
- Slower development
Choose Streams if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Socialhome or Streams better?
Socialhome is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Streams if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Socialhome and Streams free and open-source?
Yes. Socialhome is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Streams under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Socialhome and Streams with Docker?
Socialhome: yes. Streams: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Socialhome or Streams?
Socialhome has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Streams. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.