OSSN

Open source social network software you can self-host

About OSSN

OSSN, or Open Source Social Network, is a free PHP social network script for building social networking websites, online communities, membership platforms, and private collaboration spaces. It includes profiles, timelines, groups, messaging, photos, comments, and notifications out of the box, with hundreds of components for extension. Because it is self-hosted, owners keep complete control of their data, branding, and users.

OSSN website preview

Live preview of opensource-socialnetwork.org via the WordPress mShots service — it can take a few seconds to generate on a first visit.

OSSN: strengths & things to check

Strengths

Completely free to use — this directory lists no paid plan for it.
Covers social network, community, self hosted, open source — see the focus areas listed in its key facts.
Has 6 close alternatives in the same category on this page, so switching or comparing is easy.

Things to check

Free tools can change their model or shut down — avoid locking critical work into it without an export path.
Current plan prices are not listed here (they change too often to print reliably) — confirm the exact price on the official site.
It is one of 565 tools in the Communication & Collaboration category here — compare it against the alternatives below before you commit.

Derived from this listing's own data (pricing model, focus areas and category) — not a hands-on review score.

OSSN pricing

Pricing model	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Free access	Yes — fully free
Current plan prices	Listed on the official site — prices change, so this directory links out instead of printing a number that may already be stale.
Official site	opensource-socialnetwork.org

OSSN key facts

Category: Communication & Collaboration
Pricing: Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Focus areas: social network, community, self hosted, open source
Official site: opensource-socialnetwork.org

OSSN FAQ

How much does OSSN cost?

Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it. Current plans and prices are listed on the official site (opensource-socialnetwork.org).

What is OSSN used for?

Open source social network software you can self-host Its focus areas in the Communication & Collaboration category: social network, community, self hosted, open source.

Where can I try OSSN?

On its official site, opensource-socialnetwork.org — the Visit Official Site button above goes straight there.

OSSN vs alternatives

	OSSN	Elgg	Habitat	Hubzilla
Pricing	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Focus areas	social network, community, self hosted, open source	social network, community, self hosted, open source	community, local, social network, open source	fediverse, social network, self hosted, open source
Official site	opensource-socialnetwork.org	elgg.org	gethabitat.org	hubzilla.org
Directory status	Listed	Listed	Listed	Listed

Side-by-side from each listing's own directory data. Full alternative cards are below.

About the Communication & Collaboration category

Chat, video meetings, and messaging apps that keep teams connected. The Communication & Collaboration category on Tools Hub currently lists 565 tools. Alongside OSSN, it includes Remark42, MiroTalk C2C, plugNmeet, Openfire.

FreeCommunication & Collaborationsocial-networkcommunityself-hostedopen-source

Alternatives to OSSN

Tools in the same Communication & Collaboration category that share focus areas with OSSN — worth comparing before you commit:

Communication & Collaboration

Elgg

Open source social networking engine and framework

Freesocial-networkcommunityself-hostedopen-source

Communication & Collaboration

Habitat

A platform for local communities

Freecommunitylocalsocial-networkopen-source

Communication & Collaboration

Hubzilla

Open-source home base for collaboration and social interactions

Freefediversesocial-networkself-hostedopen-source

Communication & Collaboration

Misago

Complete, featured and modern forum solution

Freeforumopen-sourceself-hostedcommunity

Communication & Collaboration

MyBB

Free and open source forum software for online communities.

Freeforumscommunityopen-sourceself-hosted

Communication & Collaboration

Simple Machines Forum

Free, professional-grade software for running your own online community

Freeforumcommunityphpopen-source

More in Communication & Collaboration

Comparing tools in the Communication & Collaboration category? These related listings are worth a look: Remark42 — Privacy-focused lightweight commenting engine for websites; MiroTalk C2C — Open source one-to-one WebRTC video calling in the browser; plugNmeet — Open source web conferencing system for self-hosting.