Commet vs Dendrite
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| 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, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 100 | ★ 5,625 |
| First released | 2022 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Commet and Dendrite?
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
Dendrite is a lightweight, efficient Matrix homeserver written in Go by the Matrix.org team. It is designed to be a more resource-efficient alternative to Synapse while remaining fully compatible with the Matrix protocol.
- Lower memory footprint than Synapse
- Federated Matrix protocol
- End-to-end encryption support
- Polylith and monolith deployment modes
Commet vs Dendrite: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Dendrite's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Commet is actively maintained. Commet is written in Dart, while Dendrite is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Commet versus Apache-2.0 for Dendrite. Commet is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendrite. Dendrite is the more established project (first released 2017), while Commet arrived in 2022. Dendrite has the considerably larger community, at 5,625 GitHub stars versus 100. Dendrite 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 if…
- Much lighter than Synapse
- Active development by Matrix.org
Watch out for
- Some Synapse features still missing
- Less battle-tested at large scale
Frequently asked questions
Is Commet or Dendrite better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite 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 free and open-source?
Yes. Commet is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Dendrite under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Commet and Dendrite with Docker?
Commet: check the project docs for container support. Dendrite: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Commet or Dendrite?
Commet has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendrite. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.