Convos vs ejabberd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
ejabberd
Robust, scalable XMPP messaging server
| Feature | Convos | ejabberd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Artistic-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Perl | Erlang |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,191 | ★ 6,730 |
| First released | 2012 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Slack, IRCCloud | Slack, WhatsApp |
What are Convos and ejabberd?
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
ejabberd
ejabberd is a robust and scalable XMPP server powering instant messaging, presence, and real-time communication. It targets operators running large messaging deployments. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Highly scalable XMPP server
- Clustering support
- Many extension modules
- MQTT and SIP support
Convos vs ejabberd: key differences
Convos is written in Perl, while ejabberd is built with Erlang. Licensing differs — Artistic-2.0 for Convos versus GPL-2.0 for ejabberd. Convos is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for ejabberd. Ejabberd is the more established project (first released 2002), while Convos arrived in 2012. Ejabberd has the considerably larger community, at 6,730 GitHub stars versus 1,191.
Why pick each one
Choose Convos if…
- Stays connected for you
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- IRC only
- No voice or video
Choose ejabberd if…
- Extremely scalable
- Battle-tested
- Standards-based
Watch out for
- XMPP UX depends on clients
- Advanced config is complex
Frequently asked questions
Is Convos or ejabberd better?
Neither is universally better. ejabberd has the larger community, while Convos is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Convos and ejabberd free and open-source?
Yes. Convos is licensed under Artistic-2.0 and ejabberd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Convos and ejabberd with Docker?
Convos: yes. ejabberd: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Convos or ejabberd?
Convos has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for ejabberd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.