Comm vs Solanum
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Comm | Solanum |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 74 · Good | 71 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 331 | ★ 262 |
| First released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Comm and Solanum?
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
Solanum
Solanum is an IRCv3 server daemon descended from the Charybdis lineage. It is the software that powers the Libera.Chat IRC network and is suitable for running large IRC infrastructures.
- Powers Libera.Chat
- IRCv3 protocol support
- Scales to large networks
- Charybdis-derived codebase
Comm vs Solanum: key differences
Comm is written in JavaScript, while Solanum is built with C. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Comm versus GPL-2.0 for Solanum. Solanum is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Comm. Solanum is the more established project (first released 2020), while Comm arrived in 2022. Comm lists first-class Docker deployment; Solanum does not.
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 Solanum if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Comm or Solanum better?
Neither is universally better. Comm has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Comm and Solanum free and open-source?
Yes. Comm is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Solanum under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Comm and Solanum with Docker?
Comm: yes. Solanum: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Comm or Solanum?
Solanum has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Comm. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.