Metronome IM vs Syphon
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?
Metronome IM
Lightweight, fork-based XMPP communication server
VS
Syphon
Privacy-focused Matrix client built with Flutter
| Feature | Metronome IM | Syphon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Lua | Dart |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 175 | ★ 1,061 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | WhatsApp, Discord |
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 Syphon if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Dart
Frequently asked questions
Is Metronome IM or Syphon better?
Syphon is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Metronome IM if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Metronome IM and Syphon free and open-source?
Yes. Metronome IM is licensed under MIT and Syphon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Metronome IM and Syphon with Docker?
Metronome IM: yes. Syphon: check the project docs for container support.