Delta Chat 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?
Delta Chat
Decentralized messenger built on top of email
VS
MongooseIM
Scalable, robust XMPP messaging platform
| Feature | Delta Chat | MongooseIM |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Erlang |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 916 | ★ 1,748 |
| First released | 2017 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram | 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 Delta Chat or MongooseIM better?
Neither is universally better. MongooseIM has the larger community, while Delta Chat is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Delta Chat and MongooseIM free and open-source?
Yes. Delta Chat is licensed under MPL-2.0 and MongooseIM under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Delta Chat and MongooseIM with Docker?
Delta Chat: check the project docs for container support. MongooseIM: yes.