Cinny vs Dendrite Lite
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Cinny | Dendrite Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 73 · Good |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,903 | ★ 969 |
| First released | 2021 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
What are Cinny and Dendrite Lite?
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
Dendrite Lite
A Matrix homeserver implementation in Go designed to be efficient and easy to run for small to medium communities. It speaks the Matrix federation protocol so users can chat across the wider network.
- Matrix federation
- End-to-end encryption
- Lower resource use
- Single binary deployment
Cinny vs Dendrite Lite: key differences
Cinny is written in TypeScript, while Dendrite Lite is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Cinny versus Apache-2.0 for Dendrite Lite. Cinny is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendrite Lite. Dendrite Lite is the more established project (first released 2017), while Cinny arrived in 2021. Cinny has the considerably larger community, at 3,903 GitHub stars versus 969.
Why pick each one
Choose Cinny if…
- Lightweight to host
- Attractive interface
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Element
- Matrix-only
Choose Dendrite Lite if…
- Lighter than Synapse
- Open standard protocol
Watch out for
- Some features still maturing
- Smaller deployment base
Frequently asked questions
Is Cinny or Dendrite Lite better?
Cinny is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Dendrite Lite if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cinny and Dendrite Lite free and open-source?
Yes. Cinny is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Dendrite Lite under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cinny and Dendrite Lite with Docker?
Cinny: yes. Dendrite Lite: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Cinny or Dendrite Lite?
Cinny has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendrite Lite. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.