Cinny vs Continuwuity
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Continuwuity
Community-maintained Rust Matrix homeserver
| Feature | Cinny | Continuwuity |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,904 | ★ 700 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
What are Cinny and Continuwuity?
Cinny
Cinny is a Matrix client focused on a clean, simple and modern user interface. It can be self-hosted as a static web app to connect to any Matrix homeserver.
- Clean and minimal UI
- End-to-end encryption
- Static web app deployment
- Desktop builds available
Continuwuity
Continuwuity is a community continuation of the conduwuit Matrix homeserver, written in Rust. It provides an efficient, federated Matrix server with a focus on stability and ongoing maintenance.
- Drop-in conduwuit replacement
- Active community maintenance
- Efficient single binary
- Full Matrix federation
Cinny vs Continuwuity: key differences
Cinny is written in TypeScript, while Continuwuity is built with Rust. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Cinny versus Apache-2.0 for Continuwuity. Cinny is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Continuwuity. Cinny is the more established project (first released 2021), while Continuwuity arrived in 2024. Cinny has the considerably larger community, at 3,904 GitHub stars versus 700.
Why pick each one
Choose Cinny if…
- Lightweight to host
- Attractive interface
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Element
- Matrix-only
Choose Continuwuity if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cinny or Continuwuity better?
Cinny is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Continuwuity if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cinny and Continuwuity free and open-source?
Yes. Cinny is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Continuwuity under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cinny and Continuwuity with Docker?
Cinny: yes. Continuwuity: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Cinny or Continuwuity?
Cinny has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Continuwuity. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.