Metronome IM vs Session
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?
Metronome IM
Lightweight, fork-based XMPP communication server
VS
Session
Onion-routed private messenger with no phone number
| Feature | Metronome IM | Session |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Lua | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 175 | ★ 546 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram |
Why pick each one
Choose Metronome IM if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Lua
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Session if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Metronome IM or Session better?
Neither is universally better. Session has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Metronome IM and Session free and open-source?
Yes. Metronome IM is licensed under MIT and Session under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Metronome IM and Session with Docker?
Metronome IM: yes. Session: check the project docs for container support.