Socialhome vs Zap
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
Zap
Decentralized social network with nomadic identity
| Feature | Socialhome | Zap |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 381 | ★ 50 |
| First released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Tumblr, Facebook | Facebook, Twitter |
What are Socialhome and Zap?
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
Zap
Zap is a decentralized communications platform from the Hubzilla and Streams lineage that supports nomadic identity, letting accounts move between servers. It federates over multiple protocols including ActivityPub.
- Nomadic identity
- Multi-protocol federation
- Account portability
- Fine-grained permissions
Socialhome vs Zap: key differences
Socialhome is written in Python, while Zap is built with PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Socialhome versus MIT for Zap. Socialhome is the more established project (first released 2016), while Zap arrived in 2018. Socialhome has the considerably larger community, at 381 GitHub stars versus 50. Socialhome lists first-class Docker deployment; Zap does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Socialhome if…
- Unique personal-page focus
- Multi-protocol federation
Watch out for
- Small community
- Slower development
Choose Zap if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Socialhome or Zap better?
Socialhome is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Zap if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Socialhome and Zap free and open-source?
Yes. Socialhome is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Zap under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Socialhome and Zap with Docker?
Socialhome: yes. Zap: check the project docs for container support.