Alternatives to Pleroma

Lightweight fediverse server that runs on very modest hardware. 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 Pleroma.

  • Mastodon

    Federated microblogging server with no algorithmic feed.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    Mastodon has a larger contributor base and more developed moderation tooling than Pleroma, but it needs considerably more server hardware and carries real maintenance cost.

  • Misskey

    Feature-rich fediverse server with reactions, drive storage and theming.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    Misskey adds custom reactions, quotes, a built-in file drive and deep theming, but it is heavier to run than Pleroma and most documentation is in Japanese.

  • Friendica

    Federated social platform that bridges to Mastodon, diaspora*, email and RSS.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    Friendica bridges Mastodon, diaspora*, email and RSS and offers groups, events and photo albums, but requires PHP hosting and regular maintenance with a dated interface.

  • Bluesky

    Decentralized Twitter-style network built on the open AT Protocol.

    FreeProprietaryAndroidiOSWeb

    Bluesky drops self-hosting for a free hosted network on the AT Protocol with Android and iOS apps and portable identity, and it is not open source.

  • diaspora*

    Decentralised social network built on independently run pods.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    diaspora* is an open-source pod-based network with aspects for per-post visibility, but it does not federate with Mastodon or other ActivityPub servers like Pleroma does.

  • Akkoma

    A self-hostable ActivityPub microblogging server forked from Pleroma, focused on custom expression.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    Akkoma is a Pleroma fork adding custom emoji reactions and Misskey-Flavoured Markdown, diverging from mainline so Pleroma guides may not apply.

  • GoToSocial

    A lightweight self-hosted ActivityPub social network server written in Go.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    GoToSocial is a lightweight Go server with safety-focused interaction controls, aimed at individuals or small groups rather than large follower counts.

  • snac

    A minimal self-hosted ActivityPub instance written in portable C.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hosted

    snac is a minimal ActivityPub instance in portable C with a very small footprint and a more limited feature set.

Also worth comparing

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

  • glitch-soc

    A friendly fork of the Mastodon server software that adds experimental features on top of upstream.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    Pleroma runs on far more modest hardware than Mastodon and keeps a Mastodon-compatible API, but has a smaller contributor base and weaker moderation tooling.

  • Hometown

    A self-hosted fork of Mastodon that adds local-only posting for community-focused instances.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    Pleroma runs on much smaller hardware than Mastodon and supports existing Mastodon apps, though moderation tooling is less developed and releases are slower.

  • Iceshrimp.NET

    A self-hosted ActivityPub microblogging server written in C#, continuing the Iceshrimp project.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    Pleroma runs comfortably on very modest hardware with a Mastodon-compatible API, though its release cadence is slower and moderation tooling is less developed.

  • Mitra

    A self-hosted federated micro-blogging server written in Rust that connects to the fediverse over ActivityPub.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    Pleroma is a lightweight Elixir-free-standing fediverse server with a Mastodon-compatible API, but with a smaller contributor base and slower release cadence.

  • Sharkey

    A federated microblogging server forked from Misskey, with added features and a focus on performance.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    Pleroma runs on very modest hardware with a Mastodon-compatible API, but has slower releases and less developed moderation tooling.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.