Centrifugo vs Soketi
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Centrifugo | Soketi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 21 · At risk |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,789 | ★ 5,635 |
| First released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Pusher, Firebase Realtime Database | Pusher |
What are Centrifugo and Soketi?
Centrifugo
Centrifugo is a real-time messaging server that handles WebSocket and other transports to push live updates to web and mobile applications. It is language-agnostic and integrates with existing backends over an API.
- WebSocket messaging
- Horizontal scaling
- Language-agnostic API
- Channel presence
Soketi
Soketi is a fast, open-source WebSocket server that implements the Pusher protocol, making it a drop-in self-hosted replacement for Pusher Channels. It is built for low latency and simple deployment.
- Pusher protocol compatible
- Low latency
- Simple deployment
- Horizontal scaling
Centrifugo vs Soketi: key differences
Centrifugo is written in Go, while Soketi is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Centrifugo versus AGPL-3.0 for Soketi. Soketi is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Centrifugo. Centrifugo is the more established project (first released 2015), while Soketi arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Centrifugo if…
- Handles many connections
- Easy to integrate
Watch out for
- Not a chat app itself
- Requires backend integration
Choose Soketi if…
- Drop-in Pusher replacement
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Protocol-only, no UI
- Smaller ecosystem
Frequently asked questions
Is Centrifugo or Soketi better?
Neither is universally better. Centrifugo has the larger community, while Soketi is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Centrifugo and Soketi free and open-source?
Yes. Centrifugo is licensed under MIT and Soketi under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Centrifugo and Soketi with Docker?
Centrifugo: yes. Soketi: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Centrifugo or Soketi?
Soketi has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Centrifugo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.