Akkoma vs Pleroma: Fediverse Microblogging Compared

Quick Verdict

Akkoma is a maintained community fork of Pleroma that receives regular security patches, bug fixes, and new features. Pleroma’s development has effectively stalled — the last meaningful release was in early 2024. Akkoma is the better choice for new deployments because it’s the same lightweight architecture with active maintenance, better Mastodon API compatibility, and improved moderation tools.

Updated February 2026: Verified with latest Docker images and configurations.

Overview

Akkoma and Pleroma are both Elixir-based Fediverse microblogging platforms that implement ActivityPub. They share the same foundation: Pleroma’s codebase, PostgreSQL backend, and lightweight architecture that runs on a fraction of Mastodon’s resources.

Pleroma launched in 2018 as a lightweight alternative to Mastodon. Written in Elixir (Erlang/OTP), it could run a single-user instance on a Raspberry Pi. Development was driven by a small core team. Activity declined sharply in 2023-2024, with the last tagged release (v2.7.0) followed by sporadic commits but no new stable releases.

Akkoma forked from Pleroma in late 2022 when community contributors grew frustrated with Pleroma’s slow development and unmerged pull requests. The fork has since diverged significantly: improved Mastodon API compatibility, better MRF (Message Rewrite Facility) policies, Soapbox frontend support, bubble timelines, and regular quarterly releases. As of March 2026, Akkoma is on v3.17.0.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Akkoma v3.17.0	Pleroma (latest)
Last stable release	December 2025	Early 2024
Release cadence	Quarterly + security patches	Effectively stalled
Mastodon API compatibility	Improved (better client support)	Basic (older API version)
MRF (content filtering)	Enhanced policies, more options	Original MRF implementation
Frontends supported	Pleroma-FE, Soapbox, Mangane	Pleroma-FE, Mastodon-FE
Bubble timeline	Yes (curated instance federation view)	No
Custom emoji reactions	Yes (extended set)	Basic
Backup/export	Full account export	Basic
Moderation tools	Improved (reports UI, bulk actions)	Basic
Language filter	Yes	No
Local-only posts	Yes	Yes
Rich media embedding	Enhanced	Basic
Backend	Elixir/OTP	Elixir/OTP
Database	PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL
Default port	4000	4000
Docker deployment	Build from source (official)	Community image (angristan/pleroma)
License	AGPL-3.0	AGPL-3.0

Installation Complexity

Both share similar architecture, but the Docker story differs significantly.

Pleroma has a community Docker image (angristan/pleroma) that provides a ready-to-run setup:

services:
  pleroma:
    # Community image — no semver tags; must build from source or use :latest
    image: angristan/pleroma:latest
    depends_on:
      - db
    environment:
      DOMAIN: social.example.com
      INSTANCE_NAME: My Instance
      ADMIN_EMAIL: [email protected]
      NOTIFY_EMAIL: [email protected]
      DB_USER: pleroma
      DB_PASS: CHANGE_ME_DB_PASSWORD
      DB_NAME: pleroma
      DB_HOST: db
    volumes:
      - pleroma_uploads:/var/lib/pleroma/uploads
      - pleroma_static:/var/lib/pleroma/static
    ports:
      - "4000:4000"
    restart: unless-stopped

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: pleroma
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: CHANGE_ME_DB_PASSWORD
      POSTGRES_DB: pleroma
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    shm_size: 256mb
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  pleroma_uploads:
  pleroma_static:
  pgdata:

The trade-off: angristan/pleroma:latest is a community image with no pinned version tags. You’re running whatever commit the maintainer last built, and there’s no guarantee of timely updates. The image hasn’t been consistently updated with Pleroma’s (already sparse) releases.

Akkoma uses a build-from-source approach as its official Docker method:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://akkoma.dev/AkkomaGang/akkoma.git
cd akkoma

# Build the Docker image
./docker-resources/build.sh

# Configure environment
cp docker-resources/env.example .env
echo "DOCKER_USER=$(id -u):$(id -g)" >> .env

Then run with docker compose up -d. The compose file includes the built akkoma image and PostgreSQL. Configuration lives in config/prod.secret.exs (Elixir config format). Admin user creation: docker compose exec akkoma bin/pleroma_ctl user new admin [email protected] --admin.

The build step adds complexity compared to pulling a pre-built image, but gives you a reproducible image pinned to the exact version you checked out. Subsequent updates: git pull && ./docker-resources/build.sh && docker compose up -d.

Performance and Resource Usage

Resource	Akkoma v3.17.0	Pleroma
RAM (single user)	200-400 MB	200-400 MB
RAM (small instance, 10-50 users)	500 MB - 1 GB	500 MB - 1 GB
CPU	1-2 cores	1-2 cores
Disk	5-15 GB + uploads	5-15 GB + uploads
Containers	2 (app + PostgreSQL)	2 (app + PostgreSQL)
Background processing	Built-in (Elixir/OTP)	Built-in (Elixir/OTP)

Performance is virtually identical — both run the same Elixir/OTP runtime on the same BEAM virtual machine. Akkoma’s additional features (bubble timeline, enhanced MRF) add negligible overhead. Both are dramatically lighter than Mastodon, which needs Ruby, Node.js, Redis, Sidekiq, and PostgreSQL.

Community and Support

Akkoma has an active community on its Gitea instance (akkoma.dev), a Matrix room, and several Fediverse accounts. The project has a clear governance model with multiple contributors and a regular release schedule. Documentation is maintained at docs.akkoma.dev and covers installation, configuration, and administration comprehensively.

Pleroma development has largely stalled. The GitLab instance (git.pleroma.social) shows sporadic activity but no new tagged releases. The project’s Matrix rooms are still active for user support, but feature development has effectively stopped. Many former Pleroma developers and instance operators have migrated to Akkoma.

Use Cases

Choose Akkoma If…

• You’re deploying a new Fediverse microblogging instance
• Security patches and regular updates matter (they should)
• You want better Mastodon client compatibility (Tusky, Megalodon, Ice Cubes)
• Moderation tools are important for your community
• You want Soapbox frontend support for a Twitter-like UI
• Bubble timelines would benefit your instance’s user experience

Choose Pleroma If…

• You have an existing Pleroma instance and don’t want to migrate yet
• You specifically need a feature or plugin only available in Pleroma’s ecosystem
• You’re running a single-user archival instance that doesn’t need updates

Final Verdict

For any new deployment, Akkoma is the clear choice. It’s the same lightweight Elixir/OTP architecture that made Pleroma attractive, but with active development, security patches, improved features, and a healthy community. The migration path from Pleroma to Akkoma is well-documented and relatively straightforward since they share the same database schema.

Existing Pleroma operators should seriously consider migrating to Akkoma. Running unmaintained software on the public internet — especially a federated social platform that accepts content from unknown servers — is a security risk that grows with every unpatched vulnerability.

FAQ

Can I migrate from Pleroma to Akkoma?

Yes. Akkoma maintains a migration guide at docs.akkoma.dev. Since Akkoma forked from Pleroma, the database schemas are compatible. The migration involves updating the source code (or Docker image), running database migrations, and adjusting configuration files. User data, posts, and followers are preserved.

Do Akkoma and Pleroma instances federate with each other?

Yes. Both implement ActivityPub identically for federation purposes. Users on Akkoma instances can follow users on Pleroma instances (and Mastodon, GoToSocial, Misskey, etc.) without issues.

What is MRF (Message Rewrite Facility)?

MRF is Pleroma/Akkoma’s content filtering system. It intercepts incoming and outgoing ActivityPub messages and can modify, reject, or transform them based on configurable policies. Common uses: blocking specific instances, stripping media from certain domains, enforcing content warnings, and keyword filtering. Akkoma has expanded MRF with additional policy types and configuration options.

Is the angristan/pleroma Docker image safe to use?

It works, but the image uses :latest with no version pinning, and update frequency depends on a single community maintainer. For a production social platform, this is a risk — you can’t easily audit what version you’re running or when it was last updated. Akkoma’s build-from-source approach is more transparent.

Can I use Mastodon mobile apps with Akkoma?

Yes. Akkoma’s improved Mastodon API compatibility means most Mastodon clients work well: Tusky (Android), Megalodon (Android), Ice Cubes (iOS), Ivory (iOS), and others. Some Akkoma-specific features (reactions, bubble timeline) may not be accessible through Mastodon clients.

Related

• How to Self-Host Pleroma
• Mastodon vs Pleroma
• Mastodon vs GoToSocial
• Misskey vs Pleroma
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to Twitter
• Best Self-Hosted Social Networks
• Best Fediverse Software to Self-Host