Chatmail Relay vs MongooseIM
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Chatmail Relay
Minimal email server tuned for Delta Chat messaging
VS
MongooseIM
Scalable, robust XMPP messaging platform
| Feature | Chatmail Relay | MongooseIM |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Erlang |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 476 | ★ 1,748 |
| First released | 2023 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | Slack, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose MongooseIM if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Erlang
Frequently asked questions
Is Chatmail Relay or MongooseIM better?
Neither is universally better. MongooseIM has the larger community, while Chatmail Relay is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Chatmail Relay and MongooseIM free and open-source?
Yes. Chatmail Relay is licensed under MPL-2.0 and MongooseIM under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chatmail Relay and MongooseIM with Docker?
Chatmail Relay: yes. MongooseIM: yes.