Dino vs Tox
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?
Dino
Modern XMPP chat client for the desktop
VS
Tox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol and core
| Feature | Dino | Tox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vala | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,472 | ★ 2,670 |
| First released | 2017 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Skype, Slack | Skype, 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 Tox if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Dino or Tox better?
Neither is universally better. Tox has the larger community, while Dino is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dino and Tox free and open-source?
Yes. Dino is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Tox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dino and Tox with Docker?
Dino: check the project docs for container support. Tox: check the project docs for container support.