head to head · open source
Bluesky vs Loops
Bluesky has 18,295 GitHub stars, 2,837 forks, 2,400 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Loops has 453 stars, 59 forks, 42 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Bluesky leads on adoption by 3,939% (18,295 vs 453 stars). Bluesky is written in TypeScript under MIT; Loops is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0. Bluesky has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, Loops 13%. Bluesky was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Bluesky | Loops | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 453 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 59 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Bluesky if
- You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Loops if
- You want the Loops feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and Loops fits your workflow better
About Bluesky
Bluesky is the open source social application codebase for the Bluesky Social app. It lives in the AT Protocol ecosystem, also called atproto, and it is written in TypeScript as a React Native application. The project provides client code for Web, iOS, and Android, and it builds on open source atproto packages such as @atproto/api, which live in a separate repository.
read the full Bluesky overview →
About Loops
Loops is a federated, open source short video sharing platform, licensed under AGPL 3.0, that lets creators and communities run their own video server while connecting across the open social web via ActivityPub, and it is aimed at server operators, community moderators, and creators who want short form video without centralized platform control.
read the full Loops overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Bluesky or Loops more popular?
Bluesky has 18,295 GitHub stars and Loops has 453. Bluesky has the larger community by that measure.
Are Bluesky and Loops free?
Both are open source. Bluesky is licensed under MIT and Loops under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Bluesky and Loops?
Bluesky is written in TypeScript and Loops in PHP. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Bluesky or Loops?
Choose Bluesky if you want the larger community (18,295 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Loops if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.