SHSelfHostIndex

Chatmail Relay vs Delta Chat

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
CH Chatmail Relay Minimal email server tuned for Delta Chat messaging VS DE Delta Chat Decentralized messenger built on top of email
FeatureChatmail RelayDelta Chat
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseMPL-2.0MPL-2.0
LanguagePythonRust
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metalbare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 476★ 916
First released20232017
ReplacesWhatsApp, SignalWhatsApp, Signal, Telegram

Why pick each one

Choose Chatmail Relay if…

  • Uses open email standards
  • Hard to censor
Chatmail Relay details

Choose Delta Chat if…

  • Leverages decentralized email
  • No new server protocol
Delta Chat details

Frequently asked questions

Is Chatmail Relay or Delta Chat better?

Neither is universally better. Delta Chat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Chatmail Relay and Delta Chat free and open-source?

Yes. Chatmail Relay is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Delta Chat under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Chatmail Relay and Delta Chat with Docker?

Chatmail Relay: yes. Delta Chat: check the project docs for container support.

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