Centrifugo vs Indico
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?
Centrifugo
Scalable real-time messaging server for apps and websites
VS
Indico
Feature-rich event management system
| Feature | Centrifugo | Indico |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 200 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,590 | ★ 2,094 |
| First released | 2015 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Pusher, Firebase Realtime Database | Zoho Backstage |
Why pick each one
Choose Indico if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Centrifugo or Indico better?
Neither is universally better. Centrifugo has the larger community, while Indico is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Centrifugo and Indico free and open-source?
Yes. Centrifugo is licensed under MIT and Indico under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Centrifugo and Indico with Docker?
Centrifugo: yes. Indico: check the project docs for container support.