Conversations vs Chatmail Relay
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Conversations | Chatmail Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,000 | ★ 484 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | WhatsApp, Signal |
What are Conversations and Chatmail Relay?
Conversations
Conversations is an open-source XMPP (Jabber) client for Android supporting OMEMO end-to-end encryption, multi-user chats, and file transfer. It works with any standards-compliant XMPP server, including self-hosted ones.
Chatmail Relay
A minimal, opinionated mail server configuration optimized to act as a relay for Delta Chat clients, providing instant, encrypted messaging over standard email. It is provisioned automatically for low-maintenance operation.
- Email-based messaging
- Automatic provisioning
- End-to-end encryption
- Low maintenance
Conversations vs Chatmail Relay: key differences
Conversations is written in Java, while Chatmail Relay is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Conversations versus MPL-2.0 for Chatmail Relay. Conversations is the more established project (first released 2018), while Chatmail Relay arrived in 2023. Conversations has the considerably larger community, at 3,000 GitHub stars versus 484.
Why pick each one
Choose Conversations if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Choose Chatmail Relay if…
- Uses open email standards
- Hard to censor
Watch out for
- Requires mail server knowledge
- Newer project
Frequently asked questions
Is Conversations or Chatmail Relay better?
Neither is universally better. Conversations has the larger community, while Chatmail Relay is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Conversations and Chatmail Relay free and open-source?
Yes. Conversations is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Chatmail Relay under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Conversations and Chatmail Relay with Docker?
Conversations: yes. Chatmail Relay: yes.