Convos vs Profanity
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Convos | Profanity |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Artistic-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Perl | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,191 | ★ 1,542 |
| First released | 2012 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Slack, IRCCloud | Slack |
What are Convos and Profanity?
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
Profanity
Profanity is a console XMPP client whose interface is inspired by irssi. It supports OMEMO and OTR encryption, group chats, and a fully keyboard-driven workflow for the terminal.
- Terminal interface
- OMEMO and OTR encryption
- Keyboard-driven workflow
- Plugin support
Convos vs Profanity: key differences
Convos is written in Perl, while Profanity is built with C. Licensing differs — Artistic-2.0 for Convos versus GPL-3.0 for Profanity. Profanity is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Convos. Convos lists first-class Docker deployment; Profanity does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Convos if…
- Stays connected for you
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- IRC only
- No voice or video
Choose Profanity if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Convos or Profanity better?
Neither is universally better. Profanity 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 Profanity free and open-source?
Yes. Convos is licensed under Artistic-2.0 and Profanity under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Convos and Profanity with Docker?
Convos: yes. Profanity: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Convos or Profanity?
Profanity has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Convos. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.