Ergo vs Tox
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
Tox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol and core
| Feature | Ergo | Tox |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,333 | ★ 2,685 |
| First released | 2016 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Skype, Discord |
What are Ergo and Tox?
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
Tox
Tox is a free, peer-to-peer instant messaging protocol with end-to-end encryption and no central servers. The c-toxcore library is the reference implementation that powers a range of Tox clients.
- Fully peer-to-peer
- End-to-end encryption
- No central servers
- Voice and video calls
Ergo vs Tox: key differences
Ergo is written in Go, while Tox is built with C. Licensing differs — MIT for Ergo versus GPL-3.0 for Tox. Tox is the more established project (first released 2013), while Ergo arrived in 2016. Ergo lists first-class Docker deployment; Tox does not.
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 Tox if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ergo or Tox 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 Tox free and open-source?
Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and Tox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ergo and Tox with Docker?
Ergo: yes. Tox: check the project docs for container support.