Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking

! scope=col | Project Name

! scope=col | Features

! scope=col | Software type

! scope=col | Programming Language

! scope=col | License

! scope=col | Privacy features, if any

! scope=col | Federation capabilities

! scope=col data-sort-type="number" | Instance count

! scope=col | Current status

|Microblogging

|Client{{Citation |title=bluesky-social/social-app |date=2025-01-16 |url=https://github.com/bluesky-social/social-app |access-date=2025-01-16 |publisher=bluesky-social}}

|TypeScript

|MIT

| {{CNone|None}} (planned)

|AT Protocol (Personal Data Server, opinionated services){{Cite web |title=Bluesky: An Open Social Web |url=https://bsky.social/about/blog/02-22-2024-open-social-web |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241114223801/https://bsky.social/about/blog/02-22-2024-open-social-web |archive-date=14 November 2024 |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Bluesky |language=en}}

|{{val|1}}, theoretically self-hostable

| {{Active}}

|Status messages, blogging, image sharing

|Client/server

|Ruby

|AGPLv3

|Post reach can be controlled via "aspects"

|diaspora* network

|{{val|61}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=Fediverse Observer checks all servers in the fediverse and gives you an easy way to find a home. |url=https://diaspora.fediverse.observer/dailystats |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=diaspora.fediverse.observer |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Rich profiles, networking groups, community/group/celebrity pages, richtext status (not specifically length limited), photo albums, YouTube share, location, like/dislike, multiple profiles w/assignment to specific friends, single sign-on to post directly to friend's profiles on co-operating systems. Communications encryption. Fans and one-way relationships. Local and global directory services. Ability to restrict connection endpoints.

|Client/server

|PHP, JavaScript

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content, disappearing messages, private groups

|ActivityPub, DFRN, diaspora* network, Email, RSS, third-party connections (Tumblr, Twitter, more via plugins)

|{{val|345}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/friendica |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Decentralised identity and community platform, blogging, rich social networking, cloud storage and internet-scale access control/privacy

|Client/server

|PHP, JavaScript

|MIT

|Access controls for content, private groups

|ActivityPub, diaspora* network, Zot

|{{val|90}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/hubzilla |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Social news

|Client/server

|Rust

|AGPLv3

| {{CNone|None}}

|ActivityPub

|{{val|576}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/lemmy |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Microblogging, group microblogging, file sharing, games, XMPP client

|Client/server

|Python, C++

|AGPLv3

|Presence authorization, XMPP groups

|XMPP, ActivityPub in beta {{as of|2022|lc=yes}}.{{cite web |date=November 2022 |title=Libervia progress note 2022-W45 |url=https://salut-a-toi.org/blog/view/goffi@goffi.org/@/id/libervia-progress-note-2022-w45-MTdL |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225053345/https://salut-a-toi.org/blog/view/goffi@goffi.org/@/id/libervia-progress-note-2022-w45-MTdL |archive-date=25 December 2022 |access-date=31 December 2022 |website=salut-a-toi.org}}

|Demo{{cite web |title=Libervia |url=http://www.libervia.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305054424/https://www.libervia.org/ |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=15 January 2013 |publisher=Libervia}}

| {{Active}}

|Microblogging

|Client/server

|Ruby, JavaScript

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub

|{{val|10156}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/mastodon |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Microblogging

|Client

|{{Unknown}}

|{{Proprietary}}

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub, AT Protocol (Bluesky crossposting)

|{{val|1}}

| {{Active}}

|Microblogging

|Client/server

|PHP

|AGPLv3

| {{CNone|None}}

|ActivityPub

|{{val|1}}

| {{Active}}

|Microblogging

|Client/server

|TypeScript

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub

|{{val|1244}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/misskey |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Events, groups, shared folders

|Client/server

|Elixir

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub

|{{val|106}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/mobilizon |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|XMPP client, news aggregation

|Client/server

|PHP

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content, end-to-end encryption for chats

|XMPP

|{{val|16}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=Join Movim · Servers list |url=https://join.movim.eu/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=Join Movim |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Video sharing

|Client/server

|TypeScript

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub

|{{val|1302}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/peertube |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Image sharing, similar to Instagram

|Client/server

|PHP

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub

|{{val|543}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/pixelfed |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Instant messaging, microblogging

|Client/server

|Elixir

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub

|{{val|1020}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/pleroma |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Blogging

|Client/server

|Rust

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub

|{{val|41}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/plume |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

|Microblogging, blogging, home page builder

|Client/server

|Python, JavaScript

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub, diaspora*

|{{val|9}} (January 2025){{Cite web |title=FediDB, Fediverse Network Statistics |url=https://fedidb.org/software/socialhome |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fedidb.org |language=en}}

| {{Active}}

! scope=col | Project Name

! scope=col | Features

! scope=col | Software type

! scope=col | Programming Language

! scope=col | License

! scope=col | Privacy features, if any

! scope=col | Federation capabilities

! scope=col | Current status

|Primarily microblogging, groups

|Client/server

|PHP

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub (via plugin), OStatus

|Stable, last update to both supported major versions circa 2022

|XMPP client + Microblogging

|Client

|JavaScript, PHP

|AGPLv3

|Presence authorizations

|XMPP

|Stable, inactive

|real-time collaborative edition, XMPP chat, groups, calendar, lists, tasks, blogs, Apache Wave inbox (modern email), wave extensions (gadgets, robots), public webpages, profiles, galleries (photos, videos), maps, federation, usability

|Client/server

|Java

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|XMPP, Wave Federation Protocol

|Stable, last updated 2017

|Microblogging

|Client (peer-to-peer)

|Ruby

|MIT

|{{Unknown}}

|Ethereum, IPFS

|Beta, last updated 2018

|Microblogging

|Openfire plugin, clients{{cite web |title=Developers - OneSocialWeb - Creating a free, open, and decentralized social networking platform |url=http://onesocialweb.org/developers-downloads.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715141504/http://onesocialweb.org/developers-downloads.html |archive-date=15 July 2012 |access-date=15 November 2011 |publisher=OneSocialWeb}}

|Java

|Apache 2.0

|Presence authorizations, access controls for content

|XMPP, XMPP extensions{{cite web |date=4 July 2011 |title=Draft protocol specification |url=http://onesocialweb.org/developers-protocol.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927180256/http://onesocialweb.org/developers-protocol.html |archive-date=27 September 2014 |access-date=15 November 2011 |publisher=Onesocialweb.org}}

|Alpha

|User-toggleable "apps" to add/remove functionality. RSSCloud and partial OStatus (PubSubHubbub) federation as well as Open Microblogging 0.1. Local follow/unfollow. Facebook, Twitter, Flickr integration. (partial) Twitter API support. Fully Restful design, user interface consumes Rest API.

|Client

|

|MIT

|Open Microblogging 0.1, RSSCloud, (partial) OStatus (PubSubHubbub)

|Open Microblogging 0.1, RSSCloud, (partial) OStatus (PubSubHubbub)

|Alpha

|Microblogging

|Server

|PHP, JavaScript

|

|Access controls for content

|Zot/6, ActivityPub

|Stable

|Microblogging

|Client/server

|

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|OStatus, ActivityPub and Zot support proposed but never implemented

|homepage and code forge went offline late 2019

|Link sharing

|Client/server

|Ruby

|AGPLv3

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPub

|No commits since May 2019

|1) Sharing personal data with companies/organizations

2) Sharing personal data with "friends"

3) Use of personal data for "personal applications"

|

|

|

|

|OStatus, OAuth 2.0, WebFinger, hCard, Portable Contacts, XRI, XDI, PubSubHubbub, Salmon

|Alpha

|

|

|

|

|

|OStatus, OAuth, Portable Contacts, WebFinger, and other open protocols

|Alpha

|Microblogging

|Client/server

|Node.js, JavaScript

|Apache 2.0

|Access controls for content

|ActivityPump

|Stable, inactive

|Microblogging

|

|

|

|

|

|unmaintained

|friends, places, status, comments, modular apps (messages, blog, cart, media), themes, mobile themes, 3rd party integration (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), editable widgets,

|Server

|

|GPL

|

|Webfinger, PubSubHubbub, OpenID, OAuth, Activity Streams

|alpha

|

|Client/server

|

|GPL

AGPL

|Private messaging, access controls

|OStatus,{{cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://socialriver.org/faq/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501161150/http://socialriver.org/faq/ |archive-date=1 May 2011 |website=Socialriver}} OpenID, will add support for OAuth

|Unmaintained

|

|Client/server

|

|

|Access controls for content

|OSMP (Open Social Message Protocol)

|alpha

|microblogging, media library, decentralized spam protection

|Client/server

|Java, JavaScript

|GPL

|

|Hyphanet

|beta

! scope=col | Project Name

! scope=col | Features

! scope=col | License

! scope=col | Privacy features, if any

! scope=col | Supported apps

! scope=col data-sort-type="number" | Instance count

! scope=col | Current status

|Activity Streams, WebFinger

|Released as a W3C standard

|Inbox/outbox access controls

|Many

|~30,000

| {{Active}}

|Activity Streams, WebFinger

|AGPLv3

|Inbox/outbox access controls

|Pump.io

|

| {{site inactive}}, network still online

|Modular, microservice-oriented protocol architecture

|Dual (MIT, Apache 2.0)

| {{CNone|None}} (planned){{Cite web |date=2024-05-06 |title=2024 Protocol Roadmap {{!}} Bluesky |url=https://docs.bsky.app/blog/2024-protocol-roadmap |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208020654/https://docs.bsky.app/blog/2024-protocol-roadmap |archive-date=8 December 2024 |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=docs.bsky.app |language=en}}

|Bluesky

|~2.4k data servers,{{Citation |last=mary |title=mary-ext/atproto-scraping |date=2025-01-16 |url=https://github.com/mary-ext/atproto-scraping |access-date=2025-01-16}} few servers for other parts of the protocol (January 2025)

| {{Active}}

|Status messages, blogging, photo sharing

|AGPLv3

|Post reach can be controlled via "aspects"

|diaspora* (social network)

|61 (January 2025)

| {{Active}}

|User relationships

|CC BY 1.0

| {{CNone|None}}

|

|

| {{Active}}

|Extensible, based on event objects

|Public domain

| {{CNone|None}}

| Many

|Hundreds of relays

| {{Active}}, stable

|OAuth 2, WebFinger, PubSubHubbub, Salmon

|AGPLv3

| {{CNone|None}}

|GNU social, StatusNet

|Less than 100

| {{site inactive}}, network still online

|P2P storage, social network, and application protocol

|AGPLv3

|End-to-end encryption for private messages

|Peergos

| {{Unknown}}

| {{Active}}, stable

|Peer-to-peer microblogging

|MIT and BSD

|End-to-end encryption for private messages

|Twister

| {{Unknown}}

|{{site inactive}}, network still online

|Microblogging

|{{varies|Varied, based on implementation}}

| {{CNone|None}}

|Text editor

| {{Unknown}}

| {{Active}}, stable

|Microblogging

|{{varies|Varied, based on implementation}}

|Access controls, presence authorization, encryption

|Many

|Many

| {{Active}}, stable

! scope=col | Project Name

! scope=col | Features

! scope=col | License

! scope=col | Privacy features, if any

! scope=col | Current status

|Blog, media library, addressbook, themeable, private messaging

|MIT

|Post scopes when transmitting

|Alpha

|Peer-to-peer, ephemeral, self-governing public communities with auditable and democratic moderation.{{cite web |title=Aether |url=https://getaether.net/ |access-date=2020-11-06 |website=getaether.net}}

|AGPLv3

| {{CNone|None}}

|Stable, not updated since 2021

|Photos, Journals, Messaging, Groups, Privacy controls, Status Updates, Newsfeeds

|GPLv2

|Access controls for content

|Cancelled

|Personal and topic channels, Buddycloud directory, channel search, channel recommender, media server, friend-finder, mobile and email push service, location, messaging

|Apache 2.0{{cite web |date=13 November 2018 |title=buddycloud/buddycloud-server-java |url=https://github.com/buddycloud/buddycloud-server-java |website=GitHub}}

|End-to-end encryption for private messages

|Stable, last update 2015

|Friends, Photo Album, Filesharing, Messaging, Pinboard, Newsfeed, Memberlist, Forum, Connecting Cunities

|PHP

|Peer-to-peer transmission

|Beta

|Supports contact and social media apps

|Apache 2.0

|

|no commit since 2021, main repository removed, alpha 0.01{{cite web |title=CoreDB Releases |url=https://github.com/diatum-org/coredb/releases/ |website=GitHub}}

|WordPress plugins{{cite web |title=Main Page - DiSo wiki |url=http://diso-project.org/wiki/Main_Page#Components |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726000617/http://diso-project.org/wiki/Main_Page#Components |archive-date=26 July 2011 |access-date=24 December 2012}}

|

|

|beta (v0.6)

|DSNPd (server daemon), ChoiceSocial (web interface)

|

|

|beta (v0.6)

|Strong encryption, XML for all data exchange, Data is digitally signed

|LGPL

|Only connected to known users

|Alpha

|OpenID Signup, Activity Stream import and export, contact import from Web 2.0 services via XFN and FOAF, automatically updated address book from remote data sources, consolidated profile with RDF/FOAF export, personal SPARQL API

|PHP{{cite web |title=Knowee.org - Download |url=http://knowee.org/download |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011235928/http://knowee.org/download |archive-date=2010-10-11}}

|

|Dead

|OpenID, Kopal Connect protocol,{{cite web |date=20 April 2010 |title=Kopal_Connect - kopal - Specifications for Kopal Connect protocol (revision 0.1.draft) - Distributed and Decentralised Social Networking Platform. - Google Project Hosting |url=https://code.google.com/p/kopal/wiki/Kopal_Connect |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429215839/http://code.google.com/p/kopal/wiki/Kopal_Connect |archive-date=29 April 2011 |access-date=15 November 2011}} Kopal Feed microformat{{cite web |title=Kopal_Feed - kopal - Specifications for Kopal Feed protocol (revision 0.1.draft) - Distributed and Decentralised Social Networking Platform. - Google Project Hosting |url=https://code.google.com/p/kopal/wiki/Kopal_Feed |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928034906/http://code.google.com/p/kopal/wiki/Kopal_Feed |archive-date=28 September 2011 |access-date=15 November 2011}}

|MIT

|

|alpha

|Social network

|AGPLv3

| {{CNone|None}}

|beta (updated: 2015)

|Profiles, microblogging, streams, groups, plugins, group mailing lists, tasks, calendar, subgroups, tagclouds (lgg,{{cite web |title=Lorea |url=http://lorea.org/join |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122131846/https://lorea.org/join |archive-date=22 November 2011 |access-date=15 November 2011 |publisher=Lorea}} plugins{{cite web |title=rhizomatik — Bitbucket |url=https://bitbucket.org/rhizomatik |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207234945/https://bitbucket.org/rhizomatik/ |archive-date=7 December 2019 |access-date=15 November 2011 |publisher=Bitbucket.org}})

|GPL

|

|stable (seems dead by 2016-12-28)

|Email social network

|

|Private messaging

|Dead

|Anonymous textboard / imageboard network{{cite web |date=27 December 2020 |title=What is Multichan? |url=http://4x13.net/what.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602212656/http://4x13.net/what.html |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=30 May 2021}}

|Public domain

| {{CNone|None}}

|paused on 2021-07-01, alpha 1.7

|one user = one node; microblogging, picture sharing, activity stream

|AGPLv3

|

|alpha (updated: 2016)

|Custom protocol

|

|

|Dead

|Micro-blogging, RSS aggregation, Cloud storage

|MIT

|Trusted user list and fine-grained trusted sub-groups

|stable (r210){{cite web |title=OpenAutonomy Reference Implementation |url=http://sourceforge.net/projects/openautonomy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202190054/http://sourceforge.net/projects/openautonomy/ |archive-date=2 February 2014 |access-date=30 January 2014}} (updated: 2015)

|Profile Management, Blogs, Wikis, Address Books, Calendars, Feed Aggregation, Discussion Forums (includes NNTP support), File Servers (WebDAV based Briefcase).

|Dual (Commercial and GPL for Open Source Edition)

|WebID

|stable (updated: 2016)

|Microblogging

|AGPLv3

| {{CNone|None}}

|Dead

|profiles, chat, microblogging

|

|

|stable (updated: 2016)

|Peer-to-peer Facebook replacement

|GPL

|Untraceable communications

|beta{{cite web |title=Safebook Architecture Overview |url=http://www.safebook.eu/home.php?content=prototype |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413182833/http://www.safebook.eu/home.php?content=prototype |archive-date=13 April 2012 |access-date=15 November 2011 |website=Safebook |publisher=Eurecom}}

|social networking, messaging, games, development tools

|Various FLOSS licenses

|End-to-end encryption for private messages.

|Stable

|Federation protocol for OSN services

|MIT

|

|beta (updated: 2018)

|Profiles, Developer-extensible Post and Profile Types, Data Import, Groups, Privacy Controls, Content versioning

|MIT (reference implementation)

|

|alpha (0.2)

|Microblogging

|

|

|alpha

|social network, microblogging, cloud storage

|MIT

|

|stable, repository deleted{{Cite web |title=Zap |url=https://zotlabs.org/page/zap/zap |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620225132/https://zotlabs.org/page/zap/zap |archive-date=20 June 2023 |access-date=4 May 2023 |website=zotlabs.org}}