Chatmail Relay vs Quicksy Bridge
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?
Chatmail Relay
Minimal email server tuned for Delta Chat messaging
VS
Quicksy Bridge
XMPP gateway providing phone-number based messaging
| Feature | Chatmail Relay | Quicksy Bridge |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 476 | ★ 3,000 |
| First released | 2023 | 2018 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | WhatsApp, Signal |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Chatmail Relay or Quicksy Bridge better?
Neither is universally better. Quicksy Bridge 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 Quicksy Bridge free and open-source?
Yes. Chatmail Relay is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Quicksy Bridge under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chatmail Relay and Quicksy Bridge with Docker?
Chatmail Relay: yes. Quicksy Bridge: yes.