MastodonvsSimpleX Chat
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Mastodon | SimpleX Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 74/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #4 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 50 456 | 19 612 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +137 | +142 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 38 | 12 |
| Latest release | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 | v7.0.4 · 3 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Ruby | Haskell |
Which one should you pick?
Mastodon scores 82/100 against 74/100 for SimpleX Chat, so it is the safer default.
Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for SimpleX Chat.
If you want the quickest setup, SimpleX Chat is easier to run; Mastodon needs more configuration.
Mastodon details →SimpleX Chat details →