Comm vs Papercups
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?
Comm
E2E-encrypted personal-server messaging app
VS
Papercups
Open-source live chat and customer messaging
| Feature | Comm | Papercups |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Elixir |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 331 | ★ 6,097 |
| First released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Intercom, Drift |
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 Papercups if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Elixir
Frequently asked questions
Is Comm or Papercups better?
Papercups is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Comm if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Comm and Papercups free and open-source?
Yes. Comm is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Papercups under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Comm and Papercups with Docker?
Comm: yes. Papercups: yes.