Berty vs Flexisip
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
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Flexisip
Complete, modular and scalable SIP server, includes a push gateway, to
| Feature | Berty | Flexisip |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,268 | ★ 186 |
| 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 Flexisip if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C++
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Berty or Flexisip better?
Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community, while Flexisip is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Berty and Flexisip free and open-source?
Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Flexisip under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Berty and Flexisip with Docker?
Berty: check the project docs for container support. Flexisip: yes.