Element Call vs MongooseIM
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?
Element Call
Encrypted group video calls on Matrix
VS
MongooseIM
Scalable, robust XMPP messaging platform
| Feature | Element Call | MongooseIM |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Erlang |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 984 | ★ 1,748 |
| First released | 2022 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Google Meet | Slack, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose Element Call if…
- Strong encryption
- Federated via Matrix
- No app install needed
Choose MongooseIM if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Erlang
Frequently asked questions
Is Element Call or MongooseIM better?
Neither is universally better. MongooseIM has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Element Call and MongooseIM free and open-source?
Yes. Element Call is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and MongooseIM under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Element Call and MongooseIM with Docker?
Element Call: yes. MongooseIM: yes.