Bonfire vs Ergo
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?
Bonfire
Federated social networking toolkit for communities
VS
Ergo
Modern IRC server with IRCv3 and bouncer features
| Feature | Bonfire | Ergo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Elixir | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 930 | ★ 3,288 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Facebook Groups, Discord | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Bonfire if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Elixir
Frequently asked questions
Is Bonfire or Ergo better?
Ergo is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Bonfire if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Bonfire and Ergo free and open-source?
Yes. Bonfire is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Ergo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bonfire and Ergo with Docker?
Bonfire: yes. Ergo: yes.