Best Self-hosted Community & Social tools in 2026

109 self-hosted open source alternatives in this category

Comments & Community Widgets(8)Community Events & Conference Management(21)Federated Social Networks(43)Feedback, Voting & Roadmaps(9)Forums & Discussion Boards(25)Moderation & Anti-Spam Tools(6)Q&A / Knowledge Communities(8)

109 services found

Mitra

Federated microblogging server for the ActivityPub network

Lightweight ActivityPub microblogging platform with Mastodon-compatible API, rich post interactions, and optional paid subscriptions via Monero.

Alternative to:

Mastodon (mastodon.social)+6

Yarn.social

Decentralized, privacy-first microblogging based on Twtxt

Yarn.social is a decentralized, self-hosted social network based on the Twtxt format, offering privacy-first microblogging with web and CLI clients and a pod-based model.

Alternative to:

Micro.blog+6

Conduit

Lightweight Matrix homeserver written in Rust

A single-binary, low-resource Matrix homeserver in Rust; simple setup, RocksDB (default) or SQLite backends, built with axum and Ruma.

Alternative to:

Element Matrix (Hosted)+19

flohmarkt

Federated classifieds platform for local communities in the Fediverse

Self-hostable, ActivityPub-enabled classifieds app where users post small ads that can federate across flohmarkt instances and other Fediverse servers.

Snac

Lightweight ActivityPub server written in portable C

Open-source, minimal ActivityPub server in portable C — multiuser, Mastodon-API compatible, no database required, JavaScript-free web UI for small federated instances.

Alternative to:

Mastodon (mastodon.social)+6

Karrot

Open-source platform for coordinating local grassroots activities

Open-source tool for grassroots groups to schedule activities, share offers, and coordinate locally with maps, chats, and participatory governance.

Alternative to:

Meetup+13

Iceshrimp.NET

ActivityPub-based federated social networking server

Iceshrimp.NET is a performant, maintainable ActivityPub federated social network server with a Blazor WebAssembly frontend and a Mastodon-compatible API.

Alternative to:

Mastodon (mastodon.social)+6

Akkoma

ActivityPub fork of Pleroma focused on expressive fediverse features

Akkoma is an Elixir/Phoenix fork of Pleroma implementing ActivityPub, with Misskey-flavored markdown, custom emoji reactions, multiple frontends and performance improveme...

Alternative to:

Pleroma+5

PieFed

Federated forum and link aggregator for the Fediverse

Open source ActivityPub-powered federated forum and link aggregator for running and joining community discussions across the Fediverse.

Alternative to:

Reddit+17

Hubzilla

Federated collaboration and social networking platform

Hubzilla is a federated server platform for social networking, groups, publishing, and file sharing with strong privacy controls, nomadic identity, and SSO across hubs.

Alternative to:

Mastodon (mastodon.social)+11

Noosfero

Web platform for social networking and community portals

Noosfero is a web platform for building community portals and social networks, combining CMS features with profiles, groups, and collaborative publishing.

Alternative to:

WordPress.com+14

Socialhome

Federated, self-hosted social network engine.

Socialhome is a federated, self-hosted social network engine enabling decentralized user profiles and cross-network federation via ActivityPub.

Alternative to:

Mastodon (mastodon.social)+8

Gancio

Shared community calendar with federation and open event exports

Gancio is a self-hosted shared agenda for local communities, with anonymous event publishing, RSS/ICS exports, embeddable listings, and ActivityPub federation.

Alternative to:

Meetup+19

AsmBB

High-performance web forum engine written in assembly.

AsmBB is a lightweight, assembly-language web forum engine that runs via FastCGI and stores data in SQLite, designed for Linux servers and high performance.

Alternative to:

Discourse+6

Framadate

Simple, privacy-focused online scheduling and polling tool

Free/libre web service for creating date-based scheduling polls and classic option polls; no registration required. Operated by Framasoft and built on the Pollaris open-s...

Alternative to:

Doodle+15

Funkwhale

Federated platform for hosting and streaming music and podcasts

Self-hosted, federated audio platform to upload, organize, stream, and share music and podcasts across instances via ActivityPub.

Alternative to:

SoundCloud+17

GoToSocial

ActivityPub microblogging server with Mastodon API compatibility

Lightweight ActivityPub social network server focused on privacy, safety, and customization, with Mastodon API compatibility for many existing clients.

Alternative to:

Mastodon (mastodon.social)+7

Pleroma

Lightweight ActivityPub server for federated microblogging

Pleroma is a lightweight ActivityPub server for the Fediverse, providing a self-hostable social network that federates with Mastodon and other compatible platforms.

Alternative to:

Threads+4

Mobilizon

Federated event and group management platform

Mobilizon is a federated platform to create and discover events and groups, manage attendance, and publish event pages without relying on major social networks.

Alternative to:

Meetup+19