Berty vs Conversations
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Berty | Conversations |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,306 | ★ 3,000 |
| First released | 2018 | 2018 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | WhatsApp, Signal |
What are Berty and Conversations?
Berty
Berty is a secure peer-to-peer messaging application built on the IPFS-based Wesh protocol. It can operate without internet access using local networks and Bluetooth.
- Works without internet via P2P
- End-to-end encryption
- No account or phone number
- Built on IPFS
Conversations
Conversations is an open-source XMPP (Jabber) client for Android supporting OMEMO end-to-end encryption, multi-user chats, and file transfer. It works with any standards-compliant XMPP server, including self-hosted ones.
Berty vs Conversations: key differences
Berty is written in TypeScript, while Conversations is built with Java. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Berty versus GPL-3.0 for Conversations. Berty is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Conversations. Berty has the considerably larger community, at 9,306 GitHub stars versus 3,000. Conversations lists first-class Docker deployment; Berty does not.
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
Watch out for
- Still considered experimental
- P2P discovery limitations
Choose Conversations if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Berty or Conversations better?
Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Berty and Conversations free and open-source?
Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Conversations under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Berty and Conversations with Docker?
Berty: check the project docs for container support. Conversations: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Berty or Conversations?
Berty has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Conversations. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.