Ergo vs WeeChat
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
WeeChat
Extensible terminal-based chat client
| Feature | Ergo | WeeChat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 88 · 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, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,333 | ★ 3,393 |
| First released | 2016 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are Ergo and WeeChat?
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
WeeChat
WeeChat is a fast, lightweight chat client that runs in the terminal and supports IRC and many other protocols through plugins. Its relay protocol allows remote clients to connect to a persistent session.
- Terminal interface
- Scriptable in many languages
- Relay protocol for remote clients
- Highly extensible
Ergo vs WeeChat: key differences
Ergo is written in Go, while WeeChat is built with C. Licensing differs — MIT for Ergo versus GPL-3.0 for WeeChat. WeeChat is the more established project (first released 2003), while Ergo arrived in 2016. Ergo lists first-class Docker deployment; WeeChat 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 WeeChat if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (3.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ergo or WeeChat better?
Neither is universally better. WeeChat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ergo and WeeChat free and open-source?
Yes. Ergo is licensed under MIT and WeeChat under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ergo and WeeChat with Docker?
Ergo: yes. WeeChat: check the project docs for container support.