Ergo vs InspIRCd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — 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
InspIRCd
Modular C++ Internet Relay Chat daemon
| Feature | Ergo | InspIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,288 | ★ 1,338 |
| First released | 2016 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose InspIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Ergo or InspIRCd better?
Neither is universally better. Ergo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ergo and InspIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and InspIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ergo and InspIRCd with Docker?
Ergo: yes. InspIRCd: yes.