Colanode vs Kontact
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted groupware options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Colanode
Collaboration suite with real-time messaging, rich text pages, file
VS
Kontact
Integrated personal information manager for KDE
| Feature | Colanode | Kontact |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Groupware | Groupware |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,006 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2026 | 2004 |
| Replaces | — | Microsoft Outlook |
Why pick each one
Choose Colanode if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 5k GitHub stars
Choose Kontact if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C++
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Colanode or Kontact better?
Neither is universally better. Colanode has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Colanode and Kontact free and open-source?
Yes. Colanode is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Kontact under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Colanode and Kontact with Docker?
Colanode: yes. Kontact: check the project docs for container support.