Comm vs Bonfire
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Comm | Bonfire |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 74 · Good | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Elixir |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 331 | ★ 943 |
| First released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Facebook Groups, Discord |
What are Comm and Bonfire?
Comm
Comm is an open-source messaging app focused on a personal server model where users can host their own Comm node. It provides end-to-end encryption and is designed for communities and small groups.
- Personal server model
- End-to-end encryption
- Native mobile apps
- Community-oriented
Bonfire
Bonfire is a flexible, modular framework for building federated social networks and digital communities. It supports ActivityPub federation and is highly customizable through extensions.
- Modular extension architecture
- ActivityPub federation
- Customizable community flavors
- Privacy-focused design
Comm vs Bonfire: key differences
Comm is written in JavaScript, while Bonfire is built with Elixir. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Comm versus AGPL-3.0 for Bonfire. Bonfire is the more established project (first released 2020), while Comm arrived in 2022. Bonfire has the considerably larger community, at 943 GitHub stars versus 331.
Why pick each one
Choose Comm if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Bonfire if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Elixir
Watch out for
- Still maturing
- Complex to configure
Frequently asked questions
Is Comm or Bonfire better?
Neither is universally better. Bonfire has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Comm and Bonfire free and open-source?
Yes. Comm is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Bonfire under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Comm and Bonfire with Docker?
Comm: yes. Bonfire: yes.