Convos vs Movim
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Movim
Social and chat platform built on XMPP
| Feature | Convos | Movim |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Artistic-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Perl | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,191 | ★ 2,055 |
| First released | 2012 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Slack, IRCCloud | Facebook, Slack |
What are Convos and Movim?
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
Movim
Movim is a federated social networking and instant messaging platform built on the XMPP protocol. It provides a modern web interface for chat, group conversations, and a publish-subscribe news feed.
- XMPP-based federation
- Modern web chat interface
- Built-in blogging and news feed
- OMEMO end-to-end encryption
Convos vs Movim: key differences
Convos is written in Perl, while Movim is built with PHP. Licensing differs — Artistic-2.0 for Convos versus AGPL-3.0 for Movim. Convos is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Movim. Movim is the more established project (first released 2010), while Convos arrived in 2012.
Why pick each one
Choose Convos if…
- Stays connected for you
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- IRC only
- No voice or video
Choose Movim if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Watch out for
- Requires an XMPP server
- Smaller ecosystem
Frequently asked questions
Is Convos or Movim better?
Neither is universally better. Movim 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 Movim free and open-source?
Yes. Convos is licensed under Artistic-2.0 and Movim under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Convos and Movim with Docker?
Convos: yes. Movim: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Convos or Movim?
Convos has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Movim. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.