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6 self-hosted options

Open-source alternatives to Twitter / X

The best open-source alternative to Twitter / X is Mastodon (AGPL-3.0, 50,452 GitHub stars, Docker image). Lemmy stands out for its Rust codebase, and diaspora* stands out for the longest track record (since 2010).

About Twitter / X: A microblogging social network for short public posts.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Mastodon

    mastodon/mastodon

    Federated microblogging server.

    Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026

    Social & ForumsRubyDocker

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars.

  2. Rank 2:

    Lemmy

    LemmyNet/lemmy

    Link aggregator for the fediverse (alternative to Reddit).

    Active · last commit Oct 23, 2026

    Social & ForumsRustDocker

    Stands out for its Rust codebase.

  3. Rank 3:

    diaspora*

    diaspora/diaspora

    Distributed social networking server.

    Active · last commit Jul 28, 2026

    Social & ForumsRuby

    Stands out for the longest track record (since 2010).

At a glance

Twitter / X alternatives compared

Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.

Twitter / X alternatives compared, data as of 2026-10-26
AppStands out forLicenseGitHub starsCommits (12 mo)Last commitDocker image
Mastodonthe most GitHub starsAGPL-3.050,4523,038Oct 26, 2026Yes
Lemmyits Rust codebaseAGPL-3.014,647332Oct 23, 2026Yes
diaspora*the longest track record (since 2010)AGPL-3.013,654119Jul 28, 2026No
Misskeyits TypeScript codebaseAGPL-3.011,3591,089Oct 26, 2026Yes
PixelFedthe most commits in the last 12 months (4,288)AGPL-3.07,1304,288Oct 25, 2026No
Friendica–AGPL-3.01,6972,640Oct 25, 2026No

Full list

All 6 Twitter / X alternatives

Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.

  1. 1

    Mastodon

    Federated microblogging server.

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. Mastodon has 50,452 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,038 commits in the last year.

  2. 2

    Lemmy

    Link aggregator for the fediverse (alternative to Reddit).

    Stands out for its Rust codebase. Lemmy has 14,647 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 332 commits in the last year.

  3. 3

    diaspora*

    Distributed social networking server.

    Stands out for the longest track record (since 2010). diaspora* has 13,654 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 119 commits in the last year.

  4. 4

    Misskey

    Decentralized app-like microblogging server/SNS for the Fediverse, using the ActivityPub protocol like GNU social and Mastodon.

    Stands out for its TypeScript codebase. Misskey has 11,359 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,089 commits in the last year.

  5. 5

    PixelFed

    Ethical photo sharing platform, powered by ActivityPub federation (alternative to Instagram).

    Stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (4,288). PixelFed has 7,130 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 4,288 commits in the last year.

  6. 6

    Friendica

    Social Communication Server.

    Friendica has 1,697 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,640 commits in the last year.

FAQ

Twitter / X alternatives: FAQ

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

Is there a free alternative to Twitter / X?

Yes. All 6 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can replace Twitter / X without per-user fees. You pay only for the server.

Can I self-host an alternative to Twitter / X with Docker?

Yes. 3 of the 6 apps here publish a Docker image, including Mastodon, Lemmy and Misskey, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose.

Which Twitter / X alternative is the most actively developed?

PixelFed (AGPL-3.0), with 4,288 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.

How is this list ranked?

Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.