Cinny vs Tinode
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Cinny | Tinode |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,903 | ★ 13,516 |
| First released | 2021 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | WhatsApp, Slack |
What are Cinny and Tinode?
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
Tinode
Tinode is an open-source instant messaging server with a backend and clients designed as an alternative to closed messengers. It targets developers building chat into products. It is deployed via Docker or binaries.
- Lightweight messaging server
- Web, mobile and CLI clients
- Group and peer-to-peer chats
- Pluggable storage backends
Cinny vs Tinode: key differences
Cinny is written in TypeScript, while Tinode is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Cinny versus GPL-3.0 for Tinode. Cinny is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Tinode. Tinode is the more established project (first released 2016), while Cinny arrived in 2021. Tinode has the considerably larger community, at 13,516 GitHub stars versus 3,903.
Why pick each one
Choose Cinny if…
- Lightweight to host
- Attractive interface
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Element
- Matrix-only
Choose Tinode if…
- Good developer foundation
- Multiple clients
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- More toolkit than product
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Cinny or Tinode better?
Neither is universally better. Tinode 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 Tinode free and open-source?
Yes. Cinny is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tinode under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cinny and Tinode with Docker?
Cinny: yes. Tinode: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Cinny or Tinode?
Cinny has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Tinode. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.