Toxic vs Session
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Toxic | Session |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,305 | ★ 585 |
| First released | 2014 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Skype, WhatsApp | Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram |
What are Toxic and Session?
Toxic
Toxic is a console client for the peer-to-peer, encrypted Tox communication protocol. It provides text chat, file transfer, and audio calls from the terminal with no central servers.
- Terminal-based Tox client
- Fully peer-to-peer
- Encrypted chat and calls
- File transfer support
Session
Session is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that routes messages through a decentralized onion network of community-operated nodes. It requires no phone number or email to sign up.
- Onion-routed message delivery
- No phone number required
- Decentralized service node network
- End-to-end encryption
Toxic vs Session: key differences
Toxic is written in C, while Session is built with TypeScript. Toxic is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Session. Toxic is the more established project (first released 2014), while Session arrived in 2020. Toxic has the considerably larger community, at 1,305 GitHub stars versus 585.
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
Watch out for
- Terminal UI only
- No offline messaging
Choose Session if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Relies on the Session node network
- Message delivery can be slower
Frequently asked questions
Is Toxic or Session better?
Neither is universally better. Toxic has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Toxic and Session free and open-source?
Yes. Toxic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Session under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Toxic and Session with Docker?
Toxic: check the project docs for container support. Session: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Toxic or Session?
Toxic has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Session. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.