Mumble Web vs ircu2
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Mumble Web | ircu2 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 51 · Fair |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | ISC | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 738 | ★ 64 |
| First released | 2017 | 1996 |
| Replaces | Discord, TeamSpeak | Discord, Slack |
What are Mumble Web and ircu2?
Mumble Web
Mumble Web is a browser-based client that connects to Mumble voice servers over WebSocket, removing the need for a native client. It brings Mumble voice chat to any device with a browser.
- Browser access to Mumble
- No native client needed
- Works on mobile browsers
- Lightweight WebSocket bridge
ircu2
ircu2 (ircd-undernet) is the IRC server daemon developed for and used by the Undernet IRC network. It can be self-hosted to run an IRC network and supports a feature-rich channel and server model.
- IRC server used by Undernet
- Feature-rich channel model
- Lightweight C daemon
Mumble Web vs ircu2: key differences
Mumble Web is written in JavaScript, while ircu2 is built with C. Licensing differs — ISC for Mumble Web versus GPL-2.0 for ircu2. Ircu2 is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Mumble Web. Ircu2 is the more established project (first released 1996), while Mumble Web arrived in 2017. Mumble Web has the considerably larger community, at 738 GitHub stars versus 64. Mumble Web lists first-class Docker deployment; ircu2 does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Mumble Web if…
- Released under the ISC license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Requires a Murmur server
- Voice quality depends on browser
Choose ircu2 if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Mumble Web or ircu2 better?
Neither is universally better. Mumble Web has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mumble Web and ircu2 free and open-source?
Yes. Mumble Web is licensed under ISC and ircu2 under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mumble Web and ircu2 with Docker?
Mumble Web: yes. ircu2: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Mumble Web or ircu2?
ircu2 has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Mumble Web. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.