By simple I mean it's interface, not the setup, I'm not _too_ concerned about the setup, but I'd like to try a few different options so the easier it is the more likely I'm going to try it.
My concerns with Pixelfed are; first I don't understand how the federated part works at this point and how that relates to running a standalone instance, and also, it appears to be early days which is a risk, in my eyes to opening something in early development to the internet.
so, to answer your question. Yes, Pixelfed is something that looks simple like that and you can host yourself. You don't have to open accounts up to random people.