Asterisk vs qTox
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Asterisk
Open-source framework for building telephony systems
VS
qTox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging and calls over Tox
| Feature | Asterisk | qTox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,431 | ★ 4,977 |
| First released | 1999 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Avaya, Cisco Unified Communications | Skype, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose Asterisk if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Choose qTox if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Asterisk or qTox better?
qTox is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Asterisk if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Asterisk and qTox free and open-source?
Yes. Asterisk is licensed under GPL-2.0 and qTox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Asterisk and qTox with Docker?
Asterisk: yes. qTox: check the project docs for container support.