SHSelfHostIndex

Telegram Bot API Server vs SimpleX Chat

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
TE Telegram Bot API Server Self-hosted local Telegram Bot API server VS SI SimpleX Chat Private messenger without any user identifiers
FeatureTelegram Bot API ServerSimpleX Chat
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseBSL-1.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageC++Haskell
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 4,395★ 19,211
First released20212021
Replaces—Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram

Why pick each one

Choose Telegram Bot API Server if…

  • Released under the BSL-1.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (4.4k GitHub stars)
  • Written in C++
Telegram Bot API Server details

Choose SimpleX Chat if…

  • Best-in-class metadata privacy
  • Run your own relays
SimpleX Chat details

Frequently asked questions

Is Telegram Bot API Server or SimpleX Chat better?

Neither is universally better. SimpleX Chat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Telegram Bot API Server and SimpleX Chat free and open-source?

Yes. Telegram Bot API Server is licensed under BSL-1.0 and SimpleX Chat under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Telegram Bot API Server and SimpleX Chat with Docker?

Telegram Bot API Server: yes. SimpleX Chat: yes.

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