Chatmail Relay vs Jami
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Chatmail Relay | Jami |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 62 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 484 | ★ 44 |
| First released | 2023 | 2016 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp |
What are Chatmail Relay and Jami?
Chatmail Relay
A minimal, opinionated mail server configuration optimized to act as a relay for Delta Chat clients, providing instant, encrypted messaging over standard email. It is provisioned automatically for low-maintenance operation.
- Email-based messaging
- Automatic provisioning
- End-to-end encryption
- Low maintenance
Jami
Jami is a free and universal communication platform that preserves privacy through a fully distributed, peer-to-peer architecture with no central servers. It supports messaging, voice, and video calls.
- No central server, fully P2P
- End-to-end encrypted calls and chat
- Cross-platform clients
- Can run a private rendezvous server
Chatmail Relay vs Jami: key differences
Chatmail Relay is written in Python, while Jami is built with C++. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Chatmail Relay versus GPL-3.0 for Jami. Jami is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Chatmail Relay. Jami is the more established project (first released 2016), while Chatmail Relay arrived in 2023. Chatmail Relay has the considerably larger community, at 484 GitHub stars versus 44. Chatmail Relay lists first-class Docker deployment; Jami does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Chatmail Relay if…
- Uses open email standards
- Hard to censor
Watch out for
- Requires mail server knowledge
- Newer project
Choose Jami if…
- No infrastructure required
- Strong privacy model
Watch out for
- P2P can be unreliable behind NAT
- No always-online message storage
Frequently asked questions
Is Chatmail Relay or Jami better?
Neither is universally better. Chatmail Relay has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Chatmail Relay and Jami free and open-source?
Yes. Chatmail Relay is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Jami under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chatmail Relay and Jami with Docker?
Chatmail Relay: yes. Jami: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Chatmail Relay or Jami?
Jami has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Chatmail Relay. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.