Berty vs Ferdium Server
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
Ferdium Server
Self-hosted backend for syncing Ferdium settings
| Feature | Berty | Ferdium Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,268 | ★ 288 |
| First released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | Franz Server |
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 Ferdium Server if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Berty or Ferdium Server better?
Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community, while Ferdium Server is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Berty and Ferdium Server free and open-source?
Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Ferdium Server under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Berty and Ferdium Server with Docker?
Berty: check the project docs for container support. Ferdium Server: yes.