# k7 vs Mastodon

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

| | k7 | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 51/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #20 of 44 in Container Management | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 824 | 50 459 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +139 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 42 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.5.0 · 18 Oct 2026 | v4.4.27 · 29 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Python | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

Mastodon scores 82/100 against 51/100 for k7, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 42 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for k7.

If you want the quickest setup, k7 is easier to run; Mastodon needs more configuration.

Mastodon is growing faster right now (+139 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [k7](https://selfhost.directory/project/k7) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/k7.md)
- [Mastodon](https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/k7-vs-mastodon