ejabberd vs SchildiChat
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
SchildiChat
Element-based Matrix client with extra usability tweaks
| Feature | ejabberd | SchildiChat |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,711 | ★ 465 |
| First released | 2002 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Slack, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose SchildiChat if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Shell
Frequently asked questions
Is ejabberd or SchildiChat better?
Neither is universally better. ejabberd has the larger community, while SchildiChat is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ejabberd and SchildiChat free and open-source?
Yes. ejabberd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and SchildiChat under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ejabberd and SchildiChat with Docker?
ejabberd: yes. SchildiChat: yes.