head to head · open source
Pixelfed vs Maskbook
Pixelfed has 7,138 GitHub stars, 896 forks, 116 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Maskbook has 1,588 stars, 315 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 17 days ago. Pixelfed leads on adoption by 349% (7,138 vs 1,588 stars). Pixelfed is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0; Maskbook is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Pixelfed has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Maskbook 20%. Pixelfed 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
| Pixelfed | Maskbook | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.1K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | PHP | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-10-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 896 | ⑂ 315 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Pixelfed if
- You weight community size — 7.1K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Maskbook if
- You want the Maskbook feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Maskbook fits your workflow better
About Pixelfed
Introduction Photo sharing the way it should be. Pixelfed lets your casual shots and creative photography find their audience naturally, without algorithmic barriers. Join millions of people sharing across the fediverse. Official Documentation Documentation for Pixelfed can be found on the Pixelfed documentation website. Run on YunoHost Pixelfed app for YunoHost. See the package source code License Pixelfed is open sourced software licensed under the AGPL license. Communication The ways you can communicate on the project are below. Before interacting, please read through the Code Of Conduct. Mastodon…
read the full Pixelfed overview →
About Maskbook
Mask Network [![GitHub license][badge license]][license] [![Join the chat at [![Chrome Web Store][badge chrome]][client chrome] [![Mozilla Add on][badge firefox]][client firefox] [![Opera][badge opera]][client opera] [![FOSSA Status][badge fossa]][fossa] [![Crowdin][badge crowdin]][crowdin] Mask Network is a portal to the new, open internet, that bridge from Web2.0 to Web3.0 . With Mask Network, you can send encrypted posts to your friends, trade your best token on X (formerly Twitter), enjoy NFT pfps, participate in crypto lucky draws, and share encrypted files on the platforms you are already using. For…
read the full Maskbook overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Pixelfed or Maskbook more popular?
Pixelfed has 7,138 GitHub stars and Maskbook has 1,588. Pixelfed has the larger community by that measure.
Are Pixelfed and Maskbook free?
Both are open source. Pixelfed is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Maskbook under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Pixelfed and Maskbook?
Pixelfed is written in PHP and Maskbook in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Pixelfed or Maskbook?
Choose Pixelfed if you want the larger community (7,138 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Maskbook if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.