Hubzilla vs Friendica: Decentralized Social Compared

Shared DNA, Different Ambitions

Hubzilla forked from Friendica in 2012, and the family resemblance is clear — both are PHP-based, both federate across multiple protocols, and both offer more than microblogging. But they diverged significantly. Friendica stayed focused on being a social network that replaces Facebook. Hubzilla became a decentralized identity and collaboration platform that includes social networking as one of many features.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Hubzilla	Friendica
Core concept	Decentralized identity platform	Social network
Nomadic identity	Yes (clone accounts across servers)	No
Protocols	Zot6, ActivityPub, Diaspora	ActivityPub, Diaspora, OStatus, DFRN
Social posting	Yes (unlimited length)	Yes (unlimited length)
Photo albums	Yes	Yes
Events/calendar	Yes (CalDAV)	Yes (basic)
Wiki	Built-in	No
CMS/web pages	Built-in	No
File storage	WebDAV	No
CalDAV/CardDAV	Built-in	No
Forums/groups	Yes (channels)	Yes (community forums)
Permission system	Per-item, role-based (granular)	Per-post visibility levels
Channels	Yes (multiple identities per account)	No (one profile per account)
Language	PHP	PHP
Database	MariaDB/MySQL	MariaDB/MySQL
License	MIT	AGPL-3.0
Docker image	Community-maintained	friendica:2026.01 (official)
Latest version	11.0	2026.01

Quick Verdict

Want a social network that replaces Facebook? Choose Friendica — it’s simpler, has better documentation, and does social networking well. Want a decentralized platform that gives you identity portability, wiki, CalDAV, file storage, and social networking? Choose Hubzilla — if you can handle its steeper learning curve.

Installation Complexity

Both run on PHP with MariaDB, but their Docker stories differ.

Friendica has an official Docker image maintained by the project:

services:
  friendica:
    image: friendica:2026.01-fpm
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_HOST: db
      MYSQL_DATABASE: friendica
      MYSQL_USER: friendica
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: your-strong-password
      FRIENDICA_URL: "https://social.example.com"
    volumes:
      - friendica-data:/var/www/html
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: mariadb:11.7
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: friendica
      MYSQL_USER: friendica
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: your-strong-password
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your-root-password
    volumes:
      - db-data:/var/lib/mysql

Hubzilla lacks an official Docker image. Community-maintained images exist, but many are outdated. The recommended approach is a manual installation or a Dockerfile you maintain yourself:

services:
  hubzilla:
    build:
      context: .
      dockerfile: Dockerfile.hubzilla
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      DB_HOST: db
      DB_NAME: hubzilla
      DB_USER: hubzilla
      DB_PASS: your-strong-password
    volumes:
      - hubzilla-data:/var/www/html
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: mariadb:11.7
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: hubzilla
      MYSQL_USER: hubzilla
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: your-strong-password
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your-root-password
    volumes:
      - db-data:/var/lib/mysql

Hubzilla’s installation also requires a web-based setup wizard, PHP dependency configuration, and cron job setup for background tasks. Friendica’s Docker image handles most of this automatically.

Winner: Friendica. Official Docker image, simpler setup, less manual configuration.

Performance and Resource Usage

Metric	Hubzilla	Friendica
Idle RAM	~200-400 MB	~200-400 MB
Minimum RAM	1 GB	1 GB
Recommended RAM	2 GB	2 GB
CPU	1-2 cores	1-2 cores
Disk (application)	~300 MB	~200 MB
Background tasks	Cron (every 10 min)	Cron (worker.php)
Federation overhead	Moderate (3 protocols)	Moderate (4 protocols)

Resource usage is comparable since both run on PHP-FPM with MariaDB. Hubzilla may use slightly more disk space over time due to wiki content, file storage, and CMS pages that Friendica doesn’t generate.

Community and Ecosystem

Dimension	Hubzilla	Friendica
GitHub/Codeberg stars	~500	~1,500
Active instances	~300	~800
Total users (fediverse)	~5,000	~30,000
First release	2012 (as Red Matrix)	2010
Release cadence	2-3 per year	2-3 per year
Documentation	Adequate, some gaps	Better organized
Plugin ecosystem	~100 addons	~50 addons
Mobile apps	Via Mastodon API	Via Mastodon API

Friendica has roughly 6x the user base and 2-3x the instances. For a social network, network size matters — more users means more federated content. Hubzilla’s smaller network is partially offset by its multi-protocol federation, but the reality is fewer people to interact with natively.

Use Cases

Choose Hubzilla If…

• Nomadic identity matters — you want your identity to survive server shutdowns
• You need a multi-purpose platform (social + wiki + CalDAV + file storage + CMS)
• Per-item permissions are critical (sharing different content with different audiences)
• You want multiple channels (identities) under one account
• You’re building a private collaboration space, not just a social feed
• You’re comfortable with manual installation and maintenance

Choose Friendica If…

• You want a straightforward Facebook replacement
• Easy Docker deployment with official images is important
• You prefer a larger federation network (more users to follow)
• The focus is social networking, not collaboration tools
• You want better documentation and a more active community
• Photo sharing, events, and groups are your core social features

Final Verdict

If your goal is a self-hosted social network, Friendica wins on simplicity, community size, and deployment ease. It does social networking well without the complexity of a multi-purpose platform. Hubzilla is the right tool if you need nomadic identity, granular permissions, or the built-in wiki/CalDAV/WebDAV features — but that additional power comes with a steeper learning curve and less community support. For most people replacing Facebook with a self-hosted alternative, Friendica is the practical choice.

FAQ

Can Hubzilla and Friendica users communicate with each other?

Yes. Both support ActivityPub, so users can follow, comment on, and interact with posts across the two platforms. Hubzilla also supports the Diaspora protocol, which Friendica also speaks — federation works well between them.

What is nomadic identity and why does it matter?

Nomadic identity lets you clone your Hubzilla account to another Hubzilla server. If your primary server goes offline, your clone automatically takes over — your identity, connections, and content persist. No other fediverse platform offers this. It solves the “what if my instance shuts down” problem.

Can I migrate from Friendica to Hubzilla?

There’s no automated migration tool. Both export account data, but the underlying data models differ significantly. You’d need to manually recreate your profile and re-establish connections. Followers on the fediverse would need to re-follow your new account.

Does Hubzilla’s CalDAV/CardDAV work with standard clients?

Yes. Hubzilla’s CalDAV and CardDAV endpoints work with Thunderbird, GNOME Calendar, DAVx5 on Android, and other standard CalDAV/CardDAV clients. It can replace a separate Radicale or Baikal instance if you’re already running Hubzilla.

Related

• How to Self-Host Hubzilla
• How to Self-Host Friendica
• Friendica vs Mastodon
• Mastodon vs GoToSocial
• Best Self-Hosted Social Networks
• Best Fediverse Software
• ActivityPub and the Fediverse Explained
• Self-Hosted Facebook Alternatives