Cinny vs Convos
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Cinny | Convos |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Artistic-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,904 | ★ 1,191 |
| First released | 2021 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, IRCCloud |
What are Cinny and Convos?
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
Convos
Convos is a self-hosted, always-online IRC client with a web interface that keeps you connected and logs conversations while you are away. It supports multiple networks and notifications.
- Always-online IRC
- Web interface
- Multi-network support
- Conversation logging
Cinny vs Convos: key differences
Cinny is written in TypeScript, while Convos is built with Perl. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Cinny versus Artistic-2.0 for Convos. Cinny is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Convos. Convos is the more established project (first released 2012), while Cinny arrived in 2021. Cinny has the considerably larger community, at 3,904 GitHub stars versus 1,191.
Why pick each one
Choose Cinny if…
- Lightweight to host
- Attractive interface
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Element
- Matrix-only
Choose Convos if…
- Stays connected for you
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- IRC only
- No voice or video
Frequently asked questions
Is Cinny or Convos better?
Neither is universally better. Cinny has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Cinny and Convos free and open-source?
Yes. Cinny is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Convos under Artistic-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cinny and Convos with Docker?
Cinny: yes. Convos: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Cinny or Convos?
Cinny has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Convos. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.