Draupnir vs SimpleX Chat

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureDraupnirSimpleX Chat
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptHaskell
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, sourcedocker, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 240★ 19,211
First released20222021
ReplacesDiscord moderation botsSignal, WhatsApp, Telegram

Why pick each one

Choose Draupnir if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in TypeScript
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Draupnir details

Choose SimpleX Chat if…

  • Best-in-class metadata privacy
  • Run your own relays
SimpleX Chat details

Frequently asked questions

Is Draupnir or SimpleX Chat better?

Neither is universally better. SimpleX Chat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Draupnir and SimpleX Chat free and open-source?

Yes. Draupnir is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SimpleX Chat under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Draupnir and SimpleX Chat with Docker?

Draupnir: yes. SimpleX Chat: yes.

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