Chatmail vs qTox
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?
Chatmail
Minimal, instant-onboarding mail server for Delta Chat
VS
qTox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging and calls over Tox
| Feature | Chatmail | qTox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Chat & Communication |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 476 | ★ 4,977 |
| First released | 2023 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Skype, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose Chatmail if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose qTox if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Chatmail or qTox better?
Neither is universally better. qTox has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Chatmail and qTox free and open-source?
Yes. Chatmail is licensed under MPL-2.0 and qTox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chatmail and qTox with Docker?
Chatmail: yes. qTox: check the project docs for container support.