BitlBee vs Centrifugo
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?
BitlBee
IRC gateway to instant messaging networks
VS
Centrifugo
Scalable real-time messaging server for apps and websites
| Feature | BitlBee | Centrifugo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | C | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 644 | ★ 10,590 |
| First released | 2002 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Pidgin | Pusher, Firebase Realtime Database |
Why pick each one
Choose BitlBee if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is BitlBee or Centrifugo better?
Neither is universally better. Centrifugo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are BitlBee and Centrifugo free and open-source?
Yes. BitlBee is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Centrifugo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BitlBee and Centrifugo with Docker?
BitlBee: check the project docs for container support. Centrifugo: yes.