Berty vs SimpleX
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
SimpleX
Messaging platform operating without user identifiers
| Feature | Berty | SimpleX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Haskell |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,268 | ★ 838 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| 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 SimpleX if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Haskell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Berty or SimpleX better?
Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community, while SimpleX is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Berty and SimpleX free and open-source?
Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SimpleX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Berty and SimpleX with Docker?
Berty: check the project docs for container support. SimpleX: check the project docs for container support.