Mumble Web vs Solanum
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 | Solanum |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 71 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | ISC | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 738 | ★ 262 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Discord, TeamSpeak | Slack, Discord |
What are Mumble Web and Solanum?
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
Solanum
Solanum is an IRCv3 server daemon descended from the Charybdis lineage. It is the software that powers the Libera.Chat IRC network and is suitable for running large IRC infrastructures.
- Powers Libera.Chat
- IRCv3 protocol support
- Scales to large networks
- Charybdis-derived codebase
Mumble Web vs Solanum: key differences
Mumble Web is written in JavaScript, while Solanum is built with C. Licensing differs — ISC for Mumble Web versus GPL-2.0 for Solanum. Mumble Web is the more established project (first released 2017), while Solanum arrived in 2020. Mumble Web has the considerably larger community, at 738 GitHub stars versus 262. Mumble Web lists first-class Docker deployment; Solanum 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 Solanum if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Mumble Web or Solanum better?
Mumble Web is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Solanum if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Mumble Web and Solanum free and open-source?
Yes. Mumble Web is licensed under ISC and Solanum under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mumble Web and Solanum with Docker?
Mumble Web: yes. Solanum: check the project docs for container support.