Reddit

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Reddit

A curated collection of the 4 best self hosted alternatives to Reddit.

Reddit is a social news aggregation, discussion, and community platform where users submit posts and comments, vote to surface content, and join topic-based “subreddits” to share links, media, and discussions across diverse interests.

Alternatives List

#1
Lemmy

Lemmy

Self-hosted, ActivityPub-based forum platform for communities, link posts, and threaded discussions with federation across the Fediverse.

Lemmy screenshot

Lemmy is a community discussion and link aggregation platform similar to Reddit, designed for running topic-based communities with posts, comments, and moderation tools. It supports federation via ActivityPub, allowing separate Lemmy servers (and other Fediverse platforms) to interact while remaining independently managed.

Key Features

  • ActivityPub federation between instances, including cross-instance communities and users
  • Reddit-style content model: communities, posts (links/text), threaded comments, voting, sorting, and feeds
  • Moderation tooling: community moderators, admin controls, reporting, bans, and content removal
  • User and community management including roles/permissions and instance policies
  • Multiple clients/frontends via API ecosystem (official and third-party web/mobile apps)
  • Media handling via URL/link posts and integrations commonly deployed with reverse proxies and object storage

Use Cases

  • Host a private or public community forum with familiar upvote/downvote dynamics
  • Create a federated network of communities across multiple organizations or groups
  • Replace centralized community platforms while keeping local control over policies and moderation

Limitations and Considerations

  • Federation can introduce moderation complexity (remote content, defederation decisions, instance-level policies)
  • Operationally requires a database and supporting services; upgrades should follow release notes to avoid breaking changes

Lemmy is well-suited for communities that want a modern discussion experience with federation and local autonomy. Its ActivityPub support and active ecosystem make it a practical choice for building interconnected forums without relying on a single centralized provider.

14.2kstars
937forks
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#2
Misskey

Misskey

Self-hosted ActivityPub social network server with customizable UI, reactions, drive storage, powerful moderation, and federation with Mastodon and other Fediverse apps.

Misskey screenshot

Misskey is a federated social networking server for running your own community in the Fediverse. It implements ActivityPub to interoperate with other platforms (for example Mastodon) while offering a feature-rich web UI and many social interaction tools.

Key Features

  • ActivityPub federation for following, posting, and interacting across the Fediverse
  • Multiple timelines (local, global, and social/following) and rich post composer options
  • Emoji reactions (including custom instance emoji) and advanced interaction features (renotes/boost-like sharing, quotes depending on configuration)
  • Built-in “Drive” for user file storage/attachments and media management
  • Lists, user discovery, notifications, and content warnings/sensitive media controls
  • Instance customization (themes/branding, custom emojis, role/permission configuration depending on version)
  • Moderation and administration tooling (user management, reporting, federation controls, and anti-abuse measures)

Use Cases

  • Host a private or public community microblogging site that still federates outward
  • Provide an organization/club social space with custom branding, emoji, and policies
  • Run a regional or interest-based Fediverse server with strong moderation controls

Limitations and Considerations

  • Operational complexity can be higher than simpler Fediverse servers due to feature breadth and frequent version changes; upgrades should follow official notes closely.

Misskey is well-suited for communities that want a modern, highly interactive Fediverse experience. It combines ActivityPub interoperability with extensive social features and strong instance-level customization, making it a common choice for admins seeking more than “baseline” microblogging.

10.9kstars
1.5kforks
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#3
Redlib

Redlib

Redlib is a fast, lightweight alternative web UI for browsing Reddit without JavaScript or tracking, supporting RSS feeds, theming, and optional proxying of media.

Redlib screenshot

Redlib is an alternative web front-end for Reddit focused on privacy, speed, and minimal client-side complexity. It renders Reddit content server-side and aims to reduce tracking, heavy scripts, and bloat while keeping core browsing features.

Key Features

  • Server-side rendered Reddit browsing with no required JavaScript
  • Privacy-oriented design (reduced tracking surface vs. the default Reddit web UI)
  • Supports viewing subreddits, posts, comments, and user profiles
  • Built-in theming/custom CSS options for the web UI
  • RSS feed support for subreddits and other views for easier following in feed readers
  • Media handling options (including proxying/redirecting of images/video depending on configuration)
  • Deployable as a single self-hosted service; commonly run behind a reverse proxy

Use Cases

  • Browse Reddit from low-resource devices or slow networks with a lightweight UI
  • Provide a privacy-preserving Reddit reader for a household or organization
  • Subscribe to subreddit updates via RSS in an existing feed-reading workflow

Limitations and Considerations

  • Depends on Reddit availability and behavior; upstream changes can affect functionality
  • Some Reddit features may not be fully supported compared to the official UI

Redlib is well-suited for users who want a simpler, faster way to read Reddit while minimizing client-side tracking and scripting. It is typically deployed as a small web service and can be integrated into existing infrastructure with a reverse proxy.

3kstars
204forks
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#4
Friendica

Friendica

Self-hostable federated social network for long-form posts, groups, forums, and cross-network connectivity via ActivityPub and other protocols.

Friendica screenshot

Friendica is a self-hostable, decentralized social networking server that lets you run your own community while still interacting with people across the Fediverse. It focuses on privacy controls, rich social features (profiles, groups, events), and broad federation/bridge support.

Key Features

  • Federates with other networks via ActivityPub and additionally supports legacy protocols (where available) such as OStatus/DFRN for wide interoperability
  • Granular privacy controls for posts (public, friends, circles/ACLs) and per-contact permissions
  • Groups and community spaces, including forum-style “groups” accounts for discussions
  • Rich content: long-form posts, attachments/media, link previews, and threading/conversations
  • Built-in directory/discovery features (server/user directories, contact discovery)
  • Extensible via addons/plugins and themes; supports multiple languages

Use Cases

  • Host a private community that can still follow/interact with Mastodon/other Fediverse users
  • Replace centralized social platforms for organizations, clubs, or interest groups
  • Provide a “social hub” server to aggregate conversations across multiple federated services

Limitations and Considerations

  • Interoperability varies by protocol/remote platform features; not every feature maps cleanly across the Fediverse
  • Some bridge/protocol capabilities depend on addons and may require additional configuration

Friendica is a strong option if you want a feature-rich social network with fine-grained privacy controls and broad federation support. It suits both small private communities and public instances that want to participate in the wider Fediverse.

1.6kstars
367forks
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running