# Mastodon vs zusam

> Two self-hosted [Social Networks & Forums projects](https://selfhost.directory/social-networks-forums), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Mastodon | zusam |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 44/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #58 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 50 456 ✓ | 223 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +137 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 38 ✓ | 2 |
| Latest release | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 ✓ | 0.6.1 · 2 Mar 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Ruby | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

Mastodon scores 82/100 against 44/100 for zusam, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for zusam.

If you want the quickest setup, zusam 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)
- [zusam](https://selfhost.directory/project/zusam) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/zusam.md)

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