Buddycloud vs Bonfire
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?
Buddycloud
Federated XMPP-based social networking server
VS
Bonfire
Federated social networking toolkit for communities
| Feature | Buddycloud | Bonfire |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Elixir |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 70 | ★ 930 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Facebook Groups | Facebook Groups, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Buddycloud if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Written in Java
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Bonfire if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Elixir
Frequently asked questions
Is Buddycloud or Bonfire better?
Neither is universally better. Bonfire has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Buddycloud and Bonfire free and open-source?
Yes. Buddycloud is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Bonfire under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buddycloud and Bonfire with Docker?
Buddycloud: check the project docs for container support. Bonfire: yes.