hestiavsMastodon
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| hestia | Mastodon | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 68/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 10 in Control Panel | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 4 554 | 50 457 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +49 | +137 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 | 38 |
| Latest release | 1.10.5 · 14 Sept 2026 | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Shell | Ruby |
Which one should you pick?
Mastodon scores 82/100 against 68/100 for hestia, so it is the safer default.
Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for hestia.
If you want the quickest setup, hestia is easier to run; Mastodon needs more configuration.
Mastodon is growing faster right now (+137 stars in 30 days).
hestia details →Mastodon details →
Swap a project
Keep hestia, compare it with
Keep Mastodon, compare it with