Berty vs Hookshot

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?
FeatureBertyHookshot
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 9,268★ 442
First released20182021
ReplacesWhatsApp, SignalSlack

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
Berty details

Choose Hookshot if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in TypeScript
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Hookshot details

Frequently asked questions

Is Berty or Hookshot better?

Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community, while Hookshot is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Berty and Hookshot free and open-source?

Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Hookshot under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Berty and Hookshot with Docker?

Berty: check the project docs for container support. Hookshot: yes.

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