BigBlueButton vs MiroTalk SFU
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video conferencing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
BigBlueButton
Virtual classroom and web conferencing for education
VS
MiroTalk SFU
Simple, secure, scalable real-time video conferences up to 4k,
| Feature | BigBlueButton | MiroTalk SFU |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Conferencing | Video Conferencing |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,182 | ★ 3,080 |
| First released | 2009 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Microsoft Teams | — |
Why pick each one
Choose MiroTalk SFU if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is BigBlueButton or MiroTalk SFU better?
Neither is universally better. BigBlueButton has the larger community, while MiroTalk SFU is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BigBlueButton and MiroTalk SFU free and open-source?
Yes. BigBlueButton is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and MiroTalk SFU under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BigBlueButton and MiroTalk SFU with Docker?
BigBlueButton: check the project docs for container support. MiroTalk SFU: yes.