# Mastodon vs sist2

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

| | Mastodon | sist2 |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 54/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #23 of 41 in Search Engines |
| GitHub stars | 50 457 ✓ | 1 329 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +137 ✓ | +21 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 38 ✓ | 12 |
| Latest release | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 ✓ | v4.2.3 · 26 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Ruby | C |

## Which one should you pick?

Mastodon scores 82/100 against 54/100 for sist2, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for sist2.

If you want the quickest setup, sist2 is easier to run; Mastodon needs more configuration.

Mastodon is growing faster right now (+137 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Mastodon](https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon.md)
- [sist2](https://selfhost.directory/project/sist2) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/sist2.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/mastodon-vs-sist2