Cinny vs Profanity
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Cinny
Simple, elegant and secure Matrix client
VS
Profanity
Console-based XMPP client inspired by irssi
| Feature | Cinny | Profanity |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,826 | ★ 1,530 |
| First released | 2021 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
Why pick each one
Choose Profanity if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cinny or Profanity better?
Cinny is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Profanity if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cinny and Profanity free and open-source?
Yes. Cinny is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Profanity under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cinny and Profanity with Docker?
Cinny: yes. Profanity: check the project docs for container support.