Bonfire vs Syphon
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Bonfire
Federated social networking toolkit for communities
VS
Syphon
Privacy-focused Matrix client built with Flutter
| Feature | Bonfire | Syphon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Elixir | Dart |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 930 | ★ 1,061 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Facebook Groups, Discord | WhatsApp, 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
Choose Syphon if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Dart
Frequently asked questions
Is Bonfire or Syphon better?
Syphon is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Bonfire if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Bonfire and Syphon free and open-source?
Yes. Bonfire is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Syphon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bonfire and Syphon with Docker?
Bonfire: yes. Syphon: check the project docs for container support.