Centrifugo vs Isso

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?
FeatureCentrifugoIsso
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageGoPython
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM256 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarydocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 10,590★ 5,296
First released20152012
ReplacesPusher, Firebase Realtime DatabaseDisqus

Why pick each one

Choose Centrifugo if…

  • Handles many connections
  • Easy to integrate
Centrifugo details

Choose Isso if…

  • Very lightweight
  • Easy to integrate with static sites
Isso details

Frequently asked questions

Is Centrifugo or Isso better?

Neither is universally better. Centrifugo has the larger community, while Isso is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Centrifugo and Isso free and open-source?

Yes. Centrifugo is licensed under MIT and Isso under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Centrifugo and Isso with Docker?

Centrifugo: yes. Isso: yes.

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