Alternatives to Lemmy

Federated link aggregator and discussion platform. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Lemmy.

  • PieFed

    A self-hosted federated forum and link aggregator that works with Lemmy and the wider fediverse.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    PieFed is a Python-based federated forum that stays compatible with Lemmy communities, with a flagship instance available if you do not want to self-host.

  • Mbin

    A self-hosted federated content aggregator with voting, discussion threads and microblogging for the fediverse.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    Mbin adds microblogging alongside link aggregation and voting, federates over ActivityPub, but is a smaller project than Lemmy with fewer instances.

  • NodeBB

    Open-source community forum software built on Node.js, self-hosted or on paid hosting.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    NodeBB is a Node.js forum you run for one community rather than a federated network, with optional paid official hosting instead of self-hosting.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Lemmy as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Frontpage

    A federated link aggregator on the AT Protocol where users share and discuss links.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

    Lemmy is an open-source federated link aggregator on a Rust server you can self-host, using fediverse accounts instead of AT Protocol identities such as Bluesky handles.

  • Voyager

    An open-source client for Lemmy and PieFed on iOS, Android, Linux and the web.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxAndroidiOSWeb

    Lemmy's own web interface lets you browse and post from a browser without a separate client, and the AGPL-3.0 server can also be self-hosted.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.