Cozy vs Kontact
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted groupware options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Cozy
Personal cloud platform with contacts and calendar
VS
Kontact
Integrated personal information manager for KDE
| Feature | Cozy | Kontact |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Groupware | Groupware |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,272 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2016 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Google Workspace | Microsoft Outlook |
Why pick each one
Choose Cozy if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Choose Kontact if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C++
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cozy or Kontact better?
Neither is universally better. Cozy has the larger community, while Kontact is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Cozy and Kontact free and open-source?
Yes. Cozy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Kontact under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cozy and Kontact with Docker?
Cozy: yes. Kontact: check the project docs for container support.