Sliding Sync Proxy vs Synapse
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Sliding Sync Proxy
Standalone sync proxy enabling fast Matrix clients
VS
Synapse
Reference homeserver for the Matrix network
| Feature | Sliding Sync Proxy | Synapse |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 282 | ★ 4,503 |
| First released | 2022 | 2014 |
| Replaces | — | Slack, Discord, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose Sliding Sync Proxy if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Sliding Sync Proxy or Synapse better?
Neither is universally better. Synapse has the larger community, while Sliding Sync Proxy is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Sliding Sync Proxy and Synapse free and open-source?
Yes. Sliding Sync Proxy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Synapse under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Sliding Sync Proxy and Synapse with Docker?
Sliding Sync Proxy: yes. Synapse: yes.