ejabberd vs matrix-nio
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?
ejabberd
Robust, scalable XMPP messaging server
VS
matrix-nio
Python library for building Matrix clients and bots
| Feature | ejabberd | matrix-nio |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | ISC |
| Language | Erlang | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,711 | ★ 706 |
| First released | 2002 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Slack bot SDK |
Why pick each one
Choose matrix-nio if…
- Released under the ISC license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ejabberd or matrix-nio better?
Neither is universally better. ejabberd has the larger community, while matrix-nio is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ejabberd and matrix-nio free and open-source?
Yes. ejabberd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and matrix-nio under ISC. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ejabberd and matrix-nio with Docker?
ejabberd: yes. matrix-nio: check the project docs for container support.