head to head · open source
Pixelfed vs Maskbook
Pixelfed has 7,105 GitHub stars, 881 forks, 116 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Maskbook has 1,584 stars, 316 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Pixelfed leads on adoption by 349% (7,105 vs 1,584 stars). Pixelfed is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0; Maskbook is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Pixelfed has attracted 12% 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 | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 881 | ⑂ 316 |
| 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
Pixelfed is an open source, ad free photo sharing platform written in PHP and released under the AGPL 3.0 license. It is built on the Laravel framework and lives in the fediverse, the federated social web, communicating with other servers through the ActivityPub protocol. The project describes itself as photo sharing "the way it should be," letting casual shots and creative photography find an audience without algorithmic barriers.
read the full Pixelfed overview →
About Maskbook
Maskbook is open source browser extension. It is TypeScript project. It carries AGPL 3.0 license. It sits in Community & Social / Social Networking. It presents itself as portal to new, open Internet. It bridges Web2.0 to Web3.0. It targets social platforms people already use. It adds encrypted posting, encrypted file sharing, NFT profile picture use, token trading on X (formerly Twitter), crypto lucky draws. It uses topics: arweave, blockchain, browser extension, crypto, cryptography, defi, dweb, encryption, ethereum, gundb, ipfs, nft. It has 1582 stars, 316 forks, 4 open issues. Repo age 7 years. Last push 2026…
read the full Maskbook overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Pixelfed or Maskbook more popular?
Pixelfed has 7,105 GitHub stars and Maskbook has 1,584. 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 (7,105 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.