Delta Chat vs Wesh Network
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Delta Chat
Decentralized messenger built on top of email
VS
Wesh Network
P2P encrypted messaging protocol toolkit
| Feature | Delta Chat | Wesh Network |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 56 · Fair |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 929 | ★ 251 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram | Signal, WhatsApp |
What are Delta Chat and Wesh Network?
Delta Chat
Delta Chat is a messaging app that uses standard email servers as its transport, providing chat-like UX with end-to-end encryption. Any IMAP/SMTP mail server can serve as the self-hosted backend.
- Uses existing email infrastructure
- Autocrypt end-to-end encryption
- No phone number required
- Cross-platform clients
Wesh Network
Wesh Network is the peer-to-peer protocol toolkit powering Berty, providing end-to-end encrypted, asynchronous messaging that works without central servers or phone numbers. It can be self-hosted as relay infrastructure.
- Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol
- Works without central servers
- No phone number required
Delta Chat vs Wesh Network: key differences
Delta Chat is written in Rust, while Wesh Network is built with Go. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Delta Chat versus Apache-2.0 for Wesh Network. Delta Chat is the more established project (first released 2017), while Wesh Network arrived in 2022. Delta Chat has the considerably larger community, at 929 GitHub stars versus 251.
Why pick each one
Choose Delta Chat if…
- Leverages decentralized email
- No new server protocol
Watch out for
- Email latency for messages
- Needs an IMAP/SMTP account
Choose Wesh Network if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Delta Chat or Wesh Network better?
Delta Chat is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Wesh Network if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Delta Chat and Wesh Network free and open-source?
Yes. Delta Chat is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Wesh Network under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Delta Chat and Wesh Network with Docker?
Delta Chat: check the project docs for container support. Wesh Network: check the project docs for container support.