Centrifugo vs Scuttlebutt Room
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
Scuttlebutt Room
Secure Scuttlebutt room server
| Feature | Centrifugo | Scuttlebutt Room |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 100 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,590 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2015 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Pusher, Firebase Realtime Database | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Scuttlebutt Room if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 100 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Centrifugo or Scuttlebutt Room better?
Neither is universally better. Centrifugo has the larger community, while Scuttlebutt Room is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Centrifugo and Scuttlebutt Room free and open-source?
Yes. Centrifugo is licensed under MIT and Scuttlebutt Room under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Centrifugo and Scuttlebutt Room with Docker?
Centrifugo: yes. Scuttlebutt Room: check the project docs for container support.