BigBlueButton vs Jami
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
BigBlueButton
Virtual classroom and web conferencing for education
VS
Jami
Fully distributed, peer-to-peer encrypted communication
| Feature | BigBlueButton | Jami |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Conferencing | Chat & Communication |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,182 | ★ 41 |
| First released | 2009 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Microsoft Teams | Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is BigBlueButton or Jami better?
Neither is universally better. BigBlueButton has the larger community, while Jami is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BigBlueButton and Jami free and open-source?
Yes. BigBlueButton is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Jami under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BigBlueButton and Jami with Docker?
BigBlueButton: check the project docs for container support. Jami: check the project docs for container support.