BigBlueButton vs Linphone
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
Linphone
Open-source SIP voice, video, and messaging client
| Feature | BigBlueButton | Linphone |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Conferencing | Chat & Communication |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,182 | ★ 500 |
| First released | 2009 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Microsoft Teams | Skype, Zoom |
Why pick each one
Choose Linphone if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BigBlueButton or Linphone better?
Neither is universally better. BigBlueButton has the larger community, while Linphone is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BigBlueButton and Linphone free and open-source?
Yes. BigBlueButton is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Linphone under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BigBlueButton and Linphone with Docker?
BigBlueButton: check the project docs for container support. Linphone: check the project docs for container support.