Ergo vs Quassel IRC
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Ergo
Modern IRC server with IRCv3 and bouncer features
VS
Quassel IRC
Distributed IRC client with an always-on core
| Feature | Ergo | Quassel IRC |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 57 · Fair |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,333 | ★ 794 |
| First released | 2016 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are Ergo and Quassel IRC?
Ergo
Ergo, formerly known as Oragono, is a modern IRC server written in Go that combines an IRCd with bouncer-like features. It supports IRCv3, has built-in account management, and stores message history.
- Full IRCv3 support
- Built-in account registration
- Persistent message history
- Single binary deployment
Quassel IRC
Quassel is a distributed IRC client built around a central core that stays connected and one or more clients that attach to it. The core acts as a permanent bouncer storing backlog for all devices.
- Always-on core bouncer
- Synced backlog across devices
- Qt desktop clients
- PostgreSQL or SQLite storage
Ergo vs Quassel IRC: key differences
Ergo is written in Go, while Quassel IRC is built with C++. Licensing differs — MIT for Ergo versus GPL-3.0 for Quassel IRC. Ergo is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Quassel IRC. Quassel IRC is the more established project (first released 2008), while Ergo arrived in 2016. Ergo has the considerably larger community, at 3,333 GitHub stars versus 794.
Why pick each one
Choose Ergo if…
- No external services needed
- Easy to run
Watch out for
- IRC protocol limitations
- No web UI included
Choose Quassel IRC if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ergo or Quassel IRC 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 Quassel IRC free and open-source?
Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and Quassel IRC under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ergo and Quassel IRC with Docker?
Ergo: yes. Quassel IRC: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ergo or Quassel IRC?
Ergo has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Quassel IRC. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.