ejabberd vs FluffyChat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ejabberd | FluffyChat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Dart |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,732 | ★ 3,143 |
| First released | 2002 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | WhatsApp, Telegram |
What are ejabberd and FluffyChat?
ejabberd
ejabberd is a robust and scalable XMPP server powering instant messaging, presence, and real-time communication. It targets operators running large messaging deployments. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Highly scalable XMPP server
- Clustering support
- Many extension modules
- MQTT and SIP support
FluffyChat
FluffyChat is a friendly, easy-to-use Matrix client built with Flutter, available on mobile, desktop, and web. It emphasizes simplicity while supporting Matrix end-to-end encryption.
- Built with Flutter for all platforms
- End-to-end encryption
- Friendly, approachable design
- Web build can be self-hosted
ejabberd vs FluffyChat: key differences
Ejabberd is written in Erlang, while FluffyChat is built with Dart. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for ejabberd versus AGPL-3.0 for FluffyChat. FluffyChat is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for ejabberd. Ejabberd is the more established project (first released 2002), while FluffyChat arrived in 2019. Ejabberd has the considerably larger community, at 6,732 GitHub stars versus 3,143. Ejabberd lists first-class Docker deployment; FluffyChat does not.
Why pick each one
Choose ejabberd if…
- Extremely scalable
- Battle-tested
- Standards-based
Watch out for
- XMPP UX depends on clients
- Advanced config is complex
Choose FluffyChat if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Dart
Watch out for
- Matrix-only
- Fewer power-user features
Frequently asked questions
Is ejabberd or FluffyChat better?
Neither is universally better. ejabberd has the larger community, while FluffyChat is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ejabberd and FluffyChat free and open-source?
Yes. ejabberd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and FluffyChat under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ejabberd and FluffyChat with Docker?
ejabberd: yes. FluffyChat: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, ejabberd or FluffyChat?
FluffyChat has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for ejabberd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.