Dino vs Openfire
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
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | Dino | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Vala | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,472 | ★ 3,052 |
| First released | 2017 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Skype, Slack | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
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
Frequently asked questions
Is Dino or Openfire better?
Neither is universally better. Openfire 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 Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. Dino is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dino and Openfire with Docker?
Dino: check the project docs for container support. Openfire: yes.