aioxmpp vs Maubot
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | aioxmpp | Maubot |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 7 · At risk | 71 · Good |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 216 | ★ 896 |
| First released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Slack bots | Slack bots |
What are aioxmpp and Maubot?
aioxmpp
aioxmpp is an async Python library and toolkit for building XMPP clients and self-hosted bots, implementing a large set of XMPP extension protocols. It is built on asyncio for modern Python applications.
- Python XMPP client toolkit
- Build self-hosted bots
- Implements many XMPP extensions
Maubot
Maubot is a plugin-based bot framework for the Matrix protocol that lets administrators add automated commands, reminders, and integrations to chat rooms. Plugins are loaded at runtime through a web management UI.
- Runtime plugin loading
- Web management UI
- Reminders and integrations
- Matrix-native
aioxmpp vs Maubot: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: aioxmpp's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Maubot is actively maintained. Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for aioxmpp versus AGPL-3.0 for Maubot. Aioxmpp is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Maubot. Aioxmpp is the more established project (first released 2016), while Maubot arrived in 2018. Maubot has the considerably larger community, at 896 GitHub stars versus 216. Maubot lists first-class Docker deployment; aioxmpp does not.
Why pick each one
Choose aioxmpp if…
- Released under the LGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Maubot if…
- Extensible with plugins
- Easy plugin management
Watch out for
- Requires a Matrix server
- Plugin quality varies
Frequently asked questions
Is aioxmpp or Maubot better?
Neither is universally better. Maubot has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are aioxmpp and Maubot free and open-source?
Yes. aioxmpp is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Maubot under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run aioxmpp and Maubot with Docker?
aioxmpp: check the project docs for container support. Maubot: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, aioxmpp or Maubot?
aioxmpp has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Maubot. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.