Conduit vs Convos
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Conduit
Simple, fast and reliable Matrix homeserver in Rust
VS
Convos
Always-online web IRC client you can self-host
| Feature | Conduit | Convos |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Artistic-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,200 | ★ 1,191 |
| First released | 2020 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, IRCCloud |
What are Conduit and Convos?
Conduit
Conduit is a lightweight Matrix homeserver written in Rust that aims to be easy to set up and run on small servers. It uses an embedded database and requires minimal configuration.
- Embedded database, no external DB
- Very low resource usage
- Single binary deployment
- Matrix federation support
Convos
Convos is a self-hosted, always-online IRC client with a web interface that keeps you connected and logs conversations while you are away. It supports multiple networks and notifications.
- Always-online IRC
- Web interface
- Multi-network support
- Conversation logging
Conduit vs Convos: key differences
Conduit is written in Rust, while Convos is built with Perl. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Conduit versus Artistic-2.0 for Convos. Conduit is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Convos. Convos is the more established project (first released 2012), while Conduit arrived in 2020.
Why pick each one
Choose Conduit if…
- Extremely easy to deploy
- Runs on a Raspberry Pi
Watch out for
- Not all Matrix features implemented
- Smaller ecosystem
Choose Convos if…
- Stays connected for you
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- IRC only
- No voice or video
Frequently asked questions
Is Conduit or Convos better?
Neither is universally better. Conduit has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Conduit and Convos free and open-source?
Yes. Conduit is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Convos under Artistic-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Conduit and Convos with Docker?
Conduit: yes. Convos: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Conduit or Convos?
Conduit has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Convos. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.