Conduit vs Fractal
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
Fractal
GNOME-native Matrix messaging client
| Feature | Conduit | Fractal |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,200 | ★ 900 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
What are Conduit and Fractal?
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
Fractal
Fractal is a Matrix client designed for the GNOME desktop and written in Rust with GTK. It supports end-to-end encryption, multiple accounts, and integrates cleanly with the GNOME ecosystem.
- GNOME-native GTK interface
- End-to-end encryption
- Multi-account support
- Adaptive layout
Conduit vs Fractal: key differences
Both projects are written in Rust. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Conduit versus GPL-3.0 for Fractal. Conduit is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Fractal. Fractal is the more established project (first released 2017), while Conduit arrived in 2020. Conduit has the considerably larger community, at 2,200 GitHub stars versus 900. Conduit lists first-class Docker deployment; Fractal does not.
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 Fractal if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Conduit or Fractal 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 Fractal free and open-source?
Yes. Conduit is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Fractal under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Conduit and Fractal with Docker?
Conduit: yes. Fractal: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Conduit or Fractal?
Conduit has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Fractal. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.