Continuwuity vs Dino
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Continuwuity
Community-maintained Rust Matrix homeserver
VS
Dino
Modern XMPP chat client for the desktop
| Feature | Continuwuity | Dino |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | Vala |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 700 | ★ 2,492 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Skype, Slack |
What are Continuwuity and Dino?
Continuwuity
Continuwuity is a community continuation of the conduwuit Matrix homeserver, written in Rust. It provides an efficient, federated Matrix server with a focus on stability and ongoing maintenance.
- Drop-in conduwuit replacement
- Active community maintenance
- Efficient single binary
- Full Matrix federation
Dino
Dino is a free desktop XMPP client built with GTK that focuses on a clean, modern interface. It supports end-to-end encryption with OMEMO, file transfer, and audio and video calls.
- Modern GTK interface
- OMEMO encryption
- Audio and video calls
- Multiple account support
Continuwuity vs Dino: key differences
Continuwuity is written in Rust, while Dino is built with Vala. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Continuwuity versus GPL-3.0 for Dino. Dino is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Continuwuity. Dino is the more established project (first released 2017), while Continuwuity arrived in 2024. Dino has the considerably larger community, at 2,492 GitHub stars versus 700. Continuwuity lists first-class Docker deployment; Dino does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Continuwuity if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Dino if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Vala
Frequently asked questions
Is Continuwuity or Dino better?
Dino is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Continuwuity if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Continuwuity and Dino free and open-source?
Yes. Continuwuity is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Dino under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Continuwuity and Dino with Docker?
Continuwuity: yes. Dino: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Continuwuity or Dino?
Dino has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Continuwuity. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.