Toxic vs Peer-calls
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — 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
Peer-calls
Group peer to peer video calls for everyone
| Feature | Toxic | Peer-calls |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,301 | ★ 1,903 |
| First released | 2014 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Skype, WhatsApp | BigBlueButton, Skype, Zoom |
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 Peer-calls if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Toxic or Peer-calls better?
Peer-calls is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Toxic if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Toxic and Peer-calls free and open-source?
Yes. Toxic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Peer-calls under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Toxic and Peer-calls with Docker?
Toxic: check the project docs for container support. Peer-calls: check the project docs for container support.