SimpleX Chat
Chat & CommunicationPrivate messenger without any user identifiers
Replaces Signal, WhatsApp
Best Lightweight Chat & Communication for self-hosting
The 35 best Lightweight chat & communication you can self-host, ranked by community traction.
Mumble
Chat & CommunicationLow-latency, high-quality voice chat application
Replaces Discord, TeamSpeak
Soketi
Chat & CommunicationSelf-hostable WebSocket server compatible with Pusher
Replaces Pusher
Remark42
Chat & CommunicationPrivacy-focused lightweight commenting engine
Replaces Disqus
Isso
Chat & CommunicationLightweight self-hosted commenting server
Replaces Disqus
MiroTalk
Chat & CommunicationFree WebRTC video conferencing and meeting rooms
Replaces Zoom, Google Meet
Telegram Bot API Server
Chat & CommunicationSelf-hosted local Telegram Bot API server
Rustpad
Chat & CommunicationMinimal collaborative real-time text editor
Replaces Google Docs, Etherpad
WeeChat
Chat & CommunicationExtensible terminal-based chat client
Replaces Slack
Ergo
Chat & CommunicationModern IRC server with IRCv3 and bouncer features
Replaces Slack, Discord
irssi
Chat & CommunicationModular terminal IRC client with scripting
Replaces Slack
AnyCable
Chat & CommunicationReal-time WebSocket server for in-app messaging
Replaces Pusher, Ably
Galène
Chat & CommunicationLightweight videoconferencing server
Replaces Zoom, Google Meet
InspIRCd
Chat & CommunicationModular C++ Internet Relay Chat daemon
Replaces Slack, Discord
Toxic
Chat & CommunicationTerminal-based client for the Tox messaging network
Replaces Skype, WhatsApp
soju
Chat & CommunicationUser-friendly IRC bouncer with multi-network support
Replaces IRCCloud
KiwiIRC
Chat & CommunicationHosted-anywhere modern web IRC client
Replaces Slack, Discord
Glowing Bear
Chat & CommunicationWeb front end for the WeeChat IRC relay
Replaces IRCCloud, Slack
matrix-commander
Chat & CommunicationCommand-line tool for sending and receiving Matrix messages
Replaces Slack CLI
Mumble Web
Chat & CommunicationBrowser-based client for Mumble voice servers
Replaces Discord, TeamSpeak
Comentario
Chat & CommunicationPrivacy-friendly, self-hosted web comments engine
Replaces Disqus
BitlBee
Chat & CommunicationIRC gateway to instant messaging networks
Replaces Pidgin
ngIRCd
Chat & CommunicationLightweight Unix IRC server that is easy to configure
Replaces Slack
UnrealIRCd
Chat & CommunicationHighly configurable open-source IRC server
Replaces Slack, Discord
Atheme IRC Services
Chat & CommunicationModular IRC services framework for large networks
Replaces Slack
Gamja
Chat & CommunicationSimple, lightweight web-based IRC client
Replaces IRCCloud
Anope
Chat & CommunicationIRC services suite for nickname and channel registration
Replaces Slack
Heisenbridge
Chat & CommunicationBouncer-style Matrix to IRC bridge
Replaces ZNC
Slixmpp
Chat & CommunicationXMPP library for building bots and chat extensions
Replaces Slack apps
Solanum
Chat & CommunicationIRCv3 server daemon used by Libera.Chat
Replaces Slack, Discord
Cactus Comments
Chat & CommunicationFederated commenting system built on Matrix
Replaces Disqus
ircd-hybrid
Chat & CommunicationLightweight and stable IRC server daemon
Replaces Slack, Discord
Biboumi
Chat & CommunicationXMPP to IRC gateway component
Hebbot
Chat & CommunicationMatrix bot that generates news summaries from chat
Replaces Slack workflows
ircu2
Chat & CommunicationIRC server daemon used by the Undernet network
Replaces Discord, Slack
No apps match these filters.
At a glance
| App | Deploy effort | Difficulty | Min. RAM | License | ★ Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SimpleX Chat | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 256 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 19,560 |
| Mumble | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 128 MB | BSD-3-Clause | 8,340 |
| Soketi | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 128 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 5,636 |
| Remark42 | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 128 MB | MIT | 5,623 |
| Isso | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 128 MB | MIT | 5,314 |
| MiroTalk | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 512 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 4,788 |
| Telegram Bot API Server | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 256 MB | BSL-1.0 | 4,484 |
| Rustpad | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 64 MB | MIT | 4,077 |
| WeeChat | Read-the-docs project | Medium | 64 MB | GPL-3.0 | 3,405 |
| Ergo | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 64 MB | MIT | 3,350 |
Quick picks
- Most adopted: SimpleX Chat (19,560 GitHub stars).
- Lightest footprint: irssi (from 32 MB RAM, against 512 MB for the heaviest here).
- Licensing: 10 of 35 use MIT; check the rest individually if you plan to modify and redistribute.
Every option here is open-source and self-hostable, tagged Lightweight within the chat & communication category. Deploy effort is graded from published container recipes, not vendor claims — see the methodology.