Ergo vs Nheko
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
Nheko
Desktop Matrix client with native Qt interface
| Feature | Ergo | Nheko |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,288 | ★ 2,472 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Nheko if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Ergo or Nheko better?
Neither is universally better. Ergo has the larger community, while Nheko is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ergo and Nheko free and open-source?
Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and Nheko under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ergo and Nheko with Docker?
Ergo: yes. Nheko: check the project docs for container support.