Berty vs Session
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Berty | Session |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,305 | ★ 585 |
| First released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram |
What are Berty and Session?
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
Session
Session is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that routes messages through a decentralized onion network of community-operated nodes. It requires no phone number or email to sign up.
- Onion-routed message delivery
- No phone number required
- Decentralized service node network
- End-to-end encryption
Berty vs Session: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Berty versus GPL-3.0 for Session. Berty is the more established project (first released 2018), while Session arrived in 2020. Berty has the considerably larger community, at 9,305 GitHub stars versus 585.
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 Session if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Relies on the Session node network
- Message delivery can be slower
Frequently asked questions
Is Berty or Session better?
Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community, while Session is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Berty and Session free and open-source?
Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Session under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Berty and Session with Docker?
Berty: check the project docs for container support. Session: check the project docs for container support.