Ergo vs Fractal
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Ergo
Modern IRC server with IRCv3 and bouncer features
VS
Fractal
GNOME-native Matrix messaging client
| Feature | Ergo | Fractal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,288 | ★ 900 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Fractal if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ergo or Fractal better?
Neither is universally better. Ergo has the larger community, while Fractal is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ergo and Fractal free and open-source?
Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and Fractal under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ergo and Fractal with Docker?
Ergo: yes. Fractal: check the project docs for container support.