Dino vs Syphon
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Dino
Modern XMPP chat client for the desktop
VS
Syphon
Privacy-focused Matrix client built with Flutter
| Feature | Dino | Syphon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vala | Dart |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,472 | ★ 1,061 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Skype, Slack | WhatsApp, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Dino if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Vala
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
Frequently asked questions
Is Dino or Syphon better?
Neither is universally better. Dino has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dino and Syphon free and open-source?
Yes. Dino is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Syphon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dino and Syphon with Docker?
Dino: check the project docs for container support. Syphon: check the project docs for container support.