ejabberd vs Gajim
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?
| Feature | ejabberd | Gajim |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,711 | ★ 600 |
| First released | 2002 | 2005 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Skype, Slack |
Why pick each one
Choose Gajim if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ejabberd or Gajim better?
Neither is universally better. ejabberd has the larger community, while Gajim is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ejabberd and Gajim free and open-source?
Yes. ejabberd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Gajim under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ejabberd and Gajim with Docker?
ejabberd: yes. Gajim: check the project docs for container support.