Berty vs Chatmail Relay
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Berty | Chatmail Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,305 | ★ 484 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | WhatsApp, Signal |
What are Berty and Chatmail Relay?
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
Chatmail Relay
A minimal, opinionated mail server configuration optimized to act as a relay for Delta Chat clients, providing instant, encrypted messaging over standard email. It is provisioned automatically for low-maintenance operation.
- Email-based messaging
- Automatic provisioning
- End-to-end encryption
- Low maintenance
Berty vs Chatmail Relay: key differences
Berty is written in TypeScript, while Chatmail Relay is built with Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Berty versus MPL-2.0 for Chatmail Relay. Berty is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Chatmail Relay. Berty is the more established project (first released 2018), while Chatmail Relay arrived in 2023. Berty has the considerably larger community, at 9,305 GitHub stars versus 484. Chatmail Relay 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 Chatmail Relay if…
- Uses open email standards
- Hard to censor
Watch out for
- Requires mail server knowledge
- Newer project
Frequently asked questions
Is Berty or Chatmail Relay better?
Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community, while Chatmail Relay is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Berty and Chatmail Relay free and open-source?
Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Chatmail Relay under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Berty and Chatmail Relay with Docker?
Berty: check the project docs for container support. Chatmail Relay: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Berty or Chatmail Relay?
Berty has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Chatmail Relay. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.