Berty vs Chitchatter
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?
Berty
Peer-to-peer messaging app that works offline
VS
Chitchatter
Peer-to-peer chat app that is serverless, decentralized, and ephemeral
| Feature | Berty | Chitchatter |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,268 | ★ 2,310 |
| First released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Berty if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Mature project with 9.3k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Chitchatter if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Berty or Chitchatter better?
Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community, while Chitchatter is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Berty and Chitchatter free and open-source?
Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Chitchatter under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Berty and Chitchatter with Docker?
Berty: check the project docs for container support. Chitchatter: check the project docs for container support.