Chatwoot
Chat & CommunicationOpen-source customer engagement and live-chat platform
Replaces Intercom, Zendesk
Best Real-Time Chat & Communication for self-hosting
The 63 best Real-Time chat & communication you can self-host, ranked by community traction.
SimpleX Chat
Chat & CommunicationPrivate messenger without any user identifiers
Replaces Signal, WhatsApp
Etherpad
Chat & CommunicationReal-time collaborative document editor
Replaces Google Docs
Centrifugo
Chat & CommunicationScalable real-time messaging server for apps and websites
Replaces Pusher, Firebase Realtime Database
Mumble
Chat & CommunicationLow-latency, high-quality voice chat application
Replaces Discord, TeamSpeak
The Lounge
Chat & CommunicationModern, self-hosted web IRC client
Replaces IRCCloud, Slack
Papercups
Chat & CommunicationOpen-source live chat and customer messaging
Replaces Intercom, Drift
Zammad
Chat & CommunicationWeb-based helpdesk and customer support system
Replaces Zendesk, Freshdesk
Soketi
Chat & CommunicationSelf-hostable WebSocket server compatible with Pusher
Replaces Pusher
FreeSWITCH
Chat & CommunicationScalable software telephony platform
Replaces Twilio, Asterisk
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
Asterisk
Chat & CommunicationOpen-source framework for building telephony systems
Replaces Avaya, Cisco Unified Communications
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
Conversations
Chat & CommunicationOpen-source XMPP chat client for Android with OMEMO encryption
Replaces WhatsApp, Signal
Kamailio
Chat & CommunicationHigh-performance SIP server for VoIP infrastructure
Replaces Twilio
Tox
Chat & CommunicationPeer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol and core
Replaces Skype, Discord
AnyCable
Chat & CommunicationReal-time WebSocket server for in-app messaging
Replaces Pusher, Ably
Nextcloud Talk
Chat & CommunicationChat, video calls and webinars integrated into Nextcloud
Replaces Slack, Zoom
Spacebar
Chat & CommunicationSelf-hostable, open-source Discord-compatible chat backend
Replaces Discord
mautrix
Chat & CommunicationCollection of Matrix bridges for popular chat networks
Replaces Beeper
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
FusionPBX
Chat & CommunicationMulti-tenant web GUI for FreeSWITCH
Replaces 3CX, RingCentral
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
Bonfire
Chat & CommunicationFederated social networking toolkit for communities
Replaces Facebook Groups, Discord
Delta Chat
Chat & CommunicationDecentralized messenger built on top of email
Replaces WhatsApp, Signal
Quassel IRC
Chat & CommunicationDistributed IRC client with an always-on core
Replaces Slack
Mumble Web
Chat & CommunicationBrowser-based client for Mumble voice servers
Replaces Discord, TeamSpeak
BitlBee
Chat & CommunicationIRC gateway to instant messaging networks
Replaces Pidgin
Session
Chat & CommunicationOnion-routed private messenger with no phone number
Replaces Signal, WhatsApp
ngIRCd
Chat & CommunicationLightweight Unix IRC server that is easy to configure
Replaces Slack
Miaou
Chat & CommunicationSelf-hosted multi-room chat with markdown and code blocks
Replaces Discord, Slack
Nextcloud Talk Signaling Server
Chat & CommunicationScalable signaling backend for Nextcloud Talk
Replaces Zoom
UnrealIRCd
Chat & CommunicationHighly configurable open-source IRC server
Replaces Slack, Discord
Linphone
Chat & CommunicationOpen-source SIP voice, video, and messaging client
Replaces Skype, Zoom
matrix-appservice-irc
Chat & CommunicationBridge connecting Matrix rooms to IRC channels
Replaces Slack IRC gateway
Chatmail Relay
Chat & CommunicationMinimal email server tuned for Delta Chat messaging
Replaces WhatsApp, Signal
Hookshot
Chat & CommunicationMatrix bridge for GitHub, GitLab, Jira and webhooks
Replaces Slack
Atheme IRC Services
Chat & CommunicationModular IRC services framework for large networks
Replaces Slack
Spectrum 2
Chat & CommunicationTransport and gateway framework for messaging networks
Replaces Bitlbee
Gamja
Chat & CommunicationSimple, lightweight web-based IRC client
Replaces IRCCloud
Jami Server Bridge
Chat & CommunicationSelf-hosted name registry and bridge for the Jami network
Replaces Skype, Zoom
Anope
Chat & CommunicationIRC services suite for nickname and channel registration
Replaces Slack
Comm
Chat & CommunicationE2E-encrypted personal-server messaging app
Replaces Discord, 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
Draupnir
Chat & CommunicationModeration bot for Matrix communities
Replaces Discord moderation bots
baibot
Chat & CommunicationSelf-hosted AI assistant bot for Matrix rooms
Replaces Slack AI assistants
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
Libervia
Chat & CommunicationMulti-frontend XMPP communication ecosystem
Replaces Slack, Facebook
Jami
Chat & CommunicationFully distributed, peer-to-peer encrypted communication
Replaces Skype, Zoom
No apps match these filters.
At a glance
| App | Deploy effort | Difficulty | Min. RAM | License | ★ Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatwoot | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 2,048 MB | MIT | 37,766 |
| SimpleX Chat | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 256 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 19,560 |
| Etherpad | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 512 MB | Apache-2.0 | 18,587 |
| Centrifugo | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 256 MB | MIT | 10,865 |
| Mumble | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 128 MB | BSD-3-Clause | 8,340 |
| The Lounge | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 256 MB | MIT | 6,355 |
| Papercups | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 1,024 MB | MIT | 6,116 |
| Zammad | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 4,096 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 6,011 |
| Soketi | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 128 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 5,636 |
| FreeSWITCH | Under-an-hour setup | Hard | 512 MB | MPL-2.0 | 5,227 |
Quick picks
- Most adopted: Chatwoot (37,766 GitHub stars).
- Lightest footprint: irssi (from 32 MB RAM, against 4,096 MB for the heaviest here).
- Licensing: 14 of 63 use AGPL-3.0; check the rest individually if you plan to modify and redistribute.
Every option here is open-source and self-hostable, tagged Real-Time within the chat & communication category. Deploy effort is graded from published container recipes, not vendor claims — see the methodology.