head to head · open source
Bluesky vs Smithereen
Bluesky has 18,295 GitHub stars, 2,837 forks, 2,400 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Smithereen has 546 stars, 36 forks, 44 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Bluesky leads on adoption by 3,251% (18,295 vs 546 stars). Bluesky is written in TypeScript under MIT; Smithereen is written in Java under Unlicense. Bluesky has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, Smithereen 7%. 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Bluesky | Smithereen | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 546 |
| License | MIT | Unlicense |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 36 |
| 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 Smithereen if
- You want the Smithereen feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Unlicense license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and Smithereen 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 Smithereen
Smithereen is a federated, ActivityPub compatible social network server written in Java that gives a self hosted instance friends, walls, and groups, and it is aimed at administrators who want to run their own social space that talks to the wider fediverse rather than renting one from a platform.
read the full Smithereen overview →
More in Community & Social
Related comparisons
More Social Networking projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Social Networking field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bluesky or Smithereen more popular?
Bluesky has 18,295 GitHub stars and Smithereen has 546. Bluesky has the larger community by that measure.
Are Bluesky and Smithereen free?
Both are open source. Bluesky is licensed under MIT and Smithereen under Unlicense. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Bluesky and Smithereen?
Bluesky is written in TypeScript and Smithereen in Java. 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 Smithereen?
Choose Bluesky if you want the larger community (18,295 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Smithereen if its feature set, stack or Unlicense licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.