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.
ejabberd
Robust, scalable XMPP messaging server
VS
SchildiChat
Archived
Element-based Matrix client with extra usability tweaks
| Feature | ejabberd | SchildiChat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| 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 | ★ 6,732 | ★ 464 |
| First released | 2002 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Slack, WhatsApp |
What are ejabberd and SchildiChat?
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
SchildiChat
SchildiChat is a fork of Element that adds a unified message bubble layout and other usability improvements. The web version can be self-hosted to connect to any Matrix homeserver.
- Message bubble layout
- Element compatibility
- End-to-end encryption
- Unified chat list
ejabberd vs SchildiChat: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: SchildiChat's repository is archived and no longer developed, while ejabberd is actively maintained. Ejabberd is written in Erlang, while SchildiChat is built with Shell. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for ejabberd versus AGPL-3.0 for SchildiChat. SchildiChat is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for ejabberd. Ejabberd is the more established project (first released 2002), while SchildiChat arrived in 2020. Ejabberd has the considerably larger community, at 6,732 GitHub stars versus 464.
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 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
Watch out for
- Tracks Element upstream
- Matrix-only
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.
Which is lighter on resources, ejabberd or SchildiChat?
SchildiChat has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for ejabberd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.