# HiClaw vs Mastodon

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | HiClaw | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #31 of 209 in AI Agents | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 5 889 | 50 457 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +220 ✓ | +137 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 38 ✓ |
| Latest release | v1.2.5 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

Mastodon scores 82/100 against 67/100 for HiClaw, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for HiClaw.

If you want the quickest setup, HiClaw is easier to run; Mastodon needs more configuration.

## Details

- [HiClaw](https://selfhost.directory/project/hiclaw) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/hiclaw.md)
- [Mastodon](https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/hiclaw-vs-mastodon