Conduit vs Syphon
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
Syphon
Privacy-focused Matrix client built with Flutter
| Feature | Conduit | Syphon |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | Dart |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,200 | ★ 1,059 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | WhatsApp, Discord |
What are Conduit and Syphon?
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
Syphon
Syphon is a Matrix messaging client that emphasizes privacy and a calm, distraction-free interface, built with Flutter for desktop and mobile. It supports end-to-end encryption out of the box.
- Privacy-first Matrix client
- End-to-end encryption
- Distraction-free design
- Desktop and mobile
Conduit vs Syphon: key differences
Conduit is written in Rust, while Syphon is built with Dart. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Conduit versus AGPL-3.0 for Syphon. Conduit is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Syphon. Conduit has the considerably larger community, at 2,200 GitHub stars versus 1,059. Conduit lists first-class Docker deployment; Syphon 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 Syphon if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Dart
Frequently asked questions
Is Conduit or Syphon 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 Syphon free and open-source?
Yes. Conduit is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Syphon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Conduit and Syphon with Docker?
Conduit: yes. Syphon: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Conduit or Syphon?
Conduit has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Syphon. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.