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.
| Feature | Cinny | Profanity |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| 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 | ★ 3,903 | ★ 1,542 |
| First released | 2021 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are Cinny and Profanity?
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
Profanity
Profanity is a console XMPP client whose interface is inspired by irssi. It supports OMEMO and OTR encryption, group chats, and a fully keyboard-driven workflow for the terminal.
- Terminal interface
- OMEMO and OTR encryption
- Keyboard-driven workflow
- Plugin support
Cinny vs Profanity: key differences
Cinny is written in TypeScript, while Profanity is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Cinny versus GPL-3.0 for Profanity. Profanity is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for Cinny. Profanity is the more established project (first released 2012), while Cinny arrived in 2021. Cinny has the considerably larger community, at 3,903 GitHub stars versus 1,542. Cinny lists first-class Docker deployment; Profanity does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Cinny if…
- Lightweight to host
- Attractive interface
Watch out for
- Fewer features than Element
- Matrix-only
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.
Which is lighter on resources, Cinny or Profanity?
Profanity has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for Cinny. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.