Ergo vs The Lounge

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?
FeatureErgoThe Lounge
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageGoTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM64 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcedocker, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 3,288★ 6,309
First released20162014
ReplacesSlack, DiscordIRCCloud, Slack

Why pick each one

Choose Ergo if…

  • No external services needed
  • Easy to run
Ergo details

Choose The Lounge if…

  • Great IRC experience in the browser
  • Multi-user support
The Lounge details

Frequently asked questions

Is Ergo or The Lounge better?

The Lounge is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Ergo if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Ergo and The Lounge free and open-source?

Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and The Lounge under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Ergo and The Lounge with Docker?

Ergo: yes. The Lounge: yes.

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