Gathio
A simple, federated, privacy-first event hosting platform
About Gathio
Gathio is an open-source event hosting platform built for privacy and simplicity. It lets you create and share events through password-protected links without requiring user accounts, and supports federation via ActivityPub for integration with Mastodon and other Fediverse services.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No sign-up or account required to create or attend events
- Strong privacy posture with no ads and no data selling
- Federates with Mastodon and the wider Fediverse
- Fully open source and self-hostable
- Lightweight and easy to deploy via Docker
Cons
- No native mobile app — web only
- Limited feature set compared to commercial event platforms
- No built-in ticketing or paid event support
- Relies on email and shared links rather than push notifications
- Self-hosting requires technical know-how
Key Features
No accounts required
Create and manage events without registering — events are controlled via secret edit links.
Password-protected events
Optionally lock events behind a password so only invited guests can view or RSVP.
ActivityPub federation
Events can be followed and shared from Mastodon, Pleroma, and other Fediverse apps.
Self-hostable
Run your own Gathio instance with full control over data, branding, and instance policies.
Auto-deletion of past events
Events are automatically removed from the database 7 days after they end for built-in data minimization.
Email notifications
Attendees and organizers receive email updates for new RSVPs, edits, and event reminders.
Group support
Create groups to bundle related events together under a shared organizer identity.
Open source
MIT-licensed codebase developed openly on GitHub with community contributions.
Pricing
- Unlimited events on gath.io
- Password-protected events
- ActivityPub federation
- Email notifications
- Auto-deletion after 7 days
- Full source code (MIT license)
- Run on your own server
- Custom branding and policies
- Docker deployment available
- Community support on GitHub
Best For
Community meetups
Organize informal gatherings where attendees value privacy and dislike Facebook-style event tracking.
Fediverse-native events
Publish events that can be followed and boosted from Mastodon and other ActivityPub apps.
Private group events
Share password-protected events with friends or club members without exposing them publicly.
Self-hosted org events
Run a private Gathio instance for a co-op, hackerspace, or nonprofit to manage internal events.
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