SHSelfHostIndex

Delta Chat vs Syphon

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?
DE Delta Chat Decentralized messenger built on top of email VS SY Syphon Privacy-focused Matrix client built with Flutter
FeatureDelta ChatSyphon
CategoryChat & CommunicationMatrix & XMPP
LicenseMPL-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageRustDart
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binarybinary, source
GitHub stars★ 916★ 1,061
First released20172020
ReplacesWhatsApp, Signal, TelegramWhatsApp, Discord

Why pick each one

Choose Delta Chat if…

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

Choose Syphon if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
  • Written in Dart
Syphon details

Frequently asked questions

Is Delta Chat or Syphon better?

Syphon is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Delta Chat if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Delta Chat and Syphon free and open-source?

Yes. Delta Chat is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Syphon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Delta Chat and Syphon with Docker?

Delta Chat: check the project docs for container support. Syphon: check the project docs for container support.

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