Berty vs Zusam
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
Zusam
Truly private space for you and your friends
| Feature | Berty | Zusam |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Unlicense |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,268 | ★ 223 |
| 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 Zusam if…
- Released under the Unlicense license
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Berty or Zusam better?
Neither is universally better. Berty has the larger community, while Zusam is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Berty and Zusam free and open-source?
Yes. Berty is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Zusam under Unlicense. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Berty and Zusam with Docker?
Berty: check the project docs for container support. Zusam: check the project docs for container support.