Commet vs Dendrite Lite
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Commet | Dendrite Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Dart | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 100 | ★ 969 |
| First released | 2022 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Commet and Dendrite Lite?
Commet
Commet is a Matrix chat client that targets desktop and mobile from a single Flutter codebase. It aims for a familiar messaging experience with support for spaces and end-to-end encryption.
- Flutter cross-platform client
- Spaces support
- End-to-end encryption
- Desktop and mobile
Dendrite Lite
A Matrix homeserver implementation in Go designed to be efficient and easy to run for small to medium communities. It speaks the Matrix federation protocol so users can chat across the wider network.
- Matrix federation
- End-to-end encryption
- Lower resource use
- Single binary deployment
Commet vs Dendrite Lite: key differences
Commet is written in Dart, while Dendrite Lite is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Commet versus Apache-2.0 for Dendrite Lite. Commet is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendrite Lite. Dendrite Lite is the more established project (first released 2017), while Commet arrived in 2022. Dendrite Lite has the considerably larger community, at 969 GitHub stars versus 100. Dendrite Lite lists first-class Docker deployment; Commet does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Commet if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Dart
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Dendrite Lite if…
- Lighter than Synapse
- Open standard protocol
Watch out for
- Some features still maturing
- Smaller deployment base
Frequently asked questions
Is Commet or Dendrite Lite better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite Lite has the larger community, while Commet is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Commet and Dendrite Lite free and open-source?
Yes. Commet is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Dendrite Lite under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Commet and Dendrite Lite with Docker?
Commet: check the project docs for container support. Dendrite Lite: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Commet or Dendrite Lite?
Commet has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendrite Lite. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.