Dendrite Lite vs Profanity
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dendrite Lite | Profanity |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 969 | ★ 1,542 |
| First released | 2017 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are Dendrite Lite and Profanity?
Dendrite Lite
A Matrix homeserver implementation in Go designed to be efficient and easy to run for small to medium communities. It speaks the Matrix federation protocol so users can chat across the wider network.
- Matrix federation
- End-to-end encryption
- Lower resource use
- Single binary deployment
Profanity
Profanity is a console XMPP client whose interface is inspired by irssi. It supports OMEMO and OTR encryption, group chats, and a fully keyboard-driven workflow for the terminal.
- Terminal interface
- OMEMO and OTR encryption
- Keyboard-driven workflow
- Plugin support
Dendrite Lite vs Profanity: key differences
Dendrite Lite is written in Go, while Profanity is built with C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Dendrite Lite versus GPL-3.0 for Profanity. Profanity is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendrite Lite. Profanity is the more established project (first released 2012), while Dendrite Lite arrived in 2017. Dendrite Lite lists first-class Docker deployment; Profanity does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Dendrite Lite if…
- Lighter than Synapse
- Open standard protocol
Watch out for
- Some features still maturing
- Smaller deployment base
Choose Profanity if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Dendrite Lite or Profanity better?
Neither is universally better. Profanity has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dendrite Lite and Profanity free and open-source?
Yes. Dendrite Lite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Profanity under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dendrite Lite and Profanity with Docker?
Dendrite Lite: yes. Profanity: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Dendrite Lite or Profanity?
Profanity has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendrite Lite. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.