PieFed

Open-source, ad-free federated forum that works with Lemmy and adds stronger filtering tools.

Open sourceSelf-hostableSocial networks

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 3
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About PieFed

PieFed is a Reddit-style forum for the fediverse, built in Python by developer Rimu Atkinson. Like Lemmy, it hosts topic communities with voting and threaded comments, and it federates over ActivityPub, so PieFed users can join Lemmy and Mbin communities and be followed from Mastodon. It aims to be friendlier than other options, with features such as keyword filters, content warnings, topic groupings of related communities, tools that make moderation and blocking easier, and controls that reduce toxic or low-quality posts. There are no ads, no tracking and no addictive algorithms. PieFed is free and open source under the AGPL, you can join piefed.social or another server, or host your own, and there are mobile apps alongside the web interface. As a younger project it has fewer servers and users than Lemmy, so much of the conversation you read will come from Lemmy communities.

Best for: Reddit leavers who want a federated forum with better filtering and moderation tools.

What works

Works with Lemmy and Mbin communities
Strong keyword filters and moderation tools
No ads, tracking or engagement algorithms

Why people leave

Fewer servers and users than Lemmy
Small development team
Federated forums still have a learning curve

Top PieFed alternatives

See all 3

1
Lemmy
The larger federated forum network, compatible with PieFed.
66.5
2
Reddit
Far more communities and activity, with ads and a corporate owner.
62.6
3
Mbin
Combines forums with microblogging in one fediverse app.
59.6

Why people left PieFed

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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PieFed: common questions

Is PieFed free?

Yes. PieFed is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.

Is PieFed open source?

Yes. You can also run it on your own server.

What platforms does PieFed run on?

PieFed is available for Web and Self-hosted.

What are the best alternatives to PieFed?

The highest-ranked PieFed alternatives right now are Lemmy, Reddit and Mbin. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 3 PieFed alternatives

PieFed facts

3 of 3 verified

License: AGPL (Python); Checked Oct 25, 2026join.piefed.social(opens source in a new tab); “Python‑powered and AGPL licensed – easy to customize and contribute.”
Ads and tracking: None; Checked Oct 25, 2026join.piefed.social(opens source in a new tab); “No ads, no tracking, no addictive algorithms – your feed is built by you.”
Federation: ActivityPub; Checked Oct 25, 2026join.piefed.social(opens source in a new tab); “Everything runs on open standards ( ActivityPub ), creating a diverse and billionaire-resistant ecosystem.”