Toxic vs Spark IM
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?
Toxic
Terminal-based client for the Tox messaging network
VS
Spark IM
Cross-platform XMPP instant messaging client
| Feature | Toxic | Spark IM |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Team Chat |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,301 | ★ 601 |
| First released | 2014 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Skype, WhatsApp | Slack, Skype |
Why pick each one
Choose Toxic if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Spark IM if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Java
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Toxic or Spark IM better?
Neither is universally better. Toxic has the larger community, while Spark IM is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Toxic and Spark IM free and open-source?
Yes. Toxic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Spark IM under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Toxic and Spark IM with Docker?
Toxic: check the project docs for container support. Spark IM: check the project docs for container support.