Berty vs Databag
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
Databag
Federated, end-to-end encrypted messaging service for the web, iOS,
| Feature | Berty | Databag |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,268 | ★ 1,477 |
| First released | 2018 | 2024 |
| 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 Databag if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Berty or Databag better?
Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community, while Databag is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Berty and Databag free and open-source?
Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Databag under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Berty and Databag with Docker?
Berty: check the project docs for container support. Databag: yes.