Cinny vs gomuks
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Cinny | gomuks |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 85 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,903 | ★ 1,727 |
| First released | 2021 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
What are Cinny and gomuks?
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
gomuks
gomuks is a terminal user interface client for the Matrix protocol. It supports end-to-end encryption and provides a keyboard-driven chat experience for people who prefer the command line.
- Terminal UI
- End-to-end encryption
- Keyboard-driven
- Single Go binary
Cinny vs gomuks: key differences
Cinny is written in TypeScript, while gomuks is built with Go. Cinny is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for gomuks. Gomuks is the more established project (first released 2018), while Cinny arrived in 2021. Cinny has the considerably larger community, at 3,903 GitHub stars versus 1,727. Cinny lists first-class Docker deployment; gomuks does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Cinny if…
- Lightweight to host
- Attractive interface
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Element
- Matrix-only
Choose gomuks if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Cinny or gomuks 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 gomuks free and open-source?
Yes. Cinny is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and gomuks under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cinny and gomuks with Docker?
Cinny: yes. gomuks: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Cinny or gomuks?
Cinny has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for gomuks. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.