Centrifugo vs Miaou
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
Miaou
Self-hosted multi-room chat with markdown and code blocks
| Feature | Centrifugo | Miaou |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,590 | ★ 553 |
| First released | 2015 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Pusher, Firebase Realtime Database | Discord, Slack |
Why pick each one
Choose Miaou if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Centrifugo or Miaou 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 Centrifugo and Miaou free and open-source?
Yes. Centrifugo is licensed under MIT and Miaou under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Centrifugo and Miaou with Docker?
Centrifugo: yes. Miaou: check the project docs for container support.