aioxmpp vs Synapse
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
aioxmpp
Pure-Python XMPP client library and toolkit
VS
Synapse
Reference homeserver for the Matrix network
| Feature | aioxmpp | Synapse |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 216 | ★ 4,503 |
| First released | 2016 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Slack bots | Slack, Discord, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose aioxmpp if…
- Released under the LGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is aioxmpp or Synapse better?
Neither is universally better. Synapse has the larger community, while aioxmpp is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are aioxmpp and Synapse free and open-source?
Yes. aioxmpp is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Synapse under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run aioxmpp and Synapse with Docker?
aioxmpp: check the project docs for container support. Synapse: yes.