Cinny vs ejabberd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Cinny | ejabberd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Erlang |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,903 | ★ 6,732 |
| First released | 2021 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, WhatsApp |
What are Cinny and ejabberd?
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
ejabberd
ejabberd is a robust and scalable XMPP server powering instant messaging, presence, and real-time communication. It targets operators running large messaging deployments. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Highly scalable XMPP server
- Clustering support
- Many extension modules
- MQTT and SIP support
Cinny vs ejabberd: key differences
Cinny is written in TypeScript, while ejabberd is built with Erlang. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Cinny versus GPL-2.0 for ejabberd. Cinny is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for ejabberd. Ejabberd is the more established project (first released 2002), while Cinny arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Cinny if…
- Lightweight to host
- Attractive interface
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Element
- Matrix-only
Choose ejabberd if…
- Extremely scalable
- Battle-tested
- Standards-based
Watch out for
- XMPP UX depends on clients
- Advanced config is complex
Frequently asked questions
Is Cinny or ejabberd better?
Neither is universally better. ejabberd has the larger community, while Cinny is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Cinny and ejabberd free and open-source?
Yes. Cinny is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ejabberd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cinny and ejabberd with Docker?
Cinny: yes. ejabberd: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Cinny or ejabberd?
Cinny has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for ejabberd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.