SHSelfHostIndex

Element Web vs Convos IRC

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?
EL Element Web Glossy Matrix client for the web and desktop VS CO Convos IRC Always-online web IRC client you can self-host
FeatureElement WebConvos IRC
CategoryMatrix & XMPPMatrix & XMPP
LicenseAGPL-3.0Artistic-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptGo
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM128 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 13,353★ 1,188
First released20162012
ReplacesSlack, Discord, Microsoft TeamsSlack, IRCCloud

Why pick each one

Choose Element Web if…

  • Most mature Matrix client
  • Active development
Element Web details

Choose Convos IRC if…

  • Stays connected for you
  • Simple to deploy
Convos IRC details

Frequently asked questions

Is Element Web or Convos IRC better?

Neither is universally better. Element Web has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Element Web and Convos IRC free and open-source?

Yes. Element Web is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Convos IRC under Artistic-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Element Web and Convos IRC with Docker?

Element Web: yes. Convos IRC: yes.

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