CoyIM vs Dendrite
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
CoyIM
Secure desktop XMPP client with OTR encryption
VS
Dendrite
Second-generation Matrix homeserver written in Go
| Feature | CoyIM | Dendrite |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 615 | ★ 5,632 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Skype | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose CoyIM if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is CoyIM or Dendrite better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite has the larger community, while CoyIM is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are CoyIM and Dendrite free and open-source?
Yes. CoyIM is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Dendrite under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CoyIM and Dendrite with Docker?
CoyIM: check the project docs for container support. Dendrite: yes.