FluffyChat vs SimpleX Chat

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?
FeatureFluffyChatSimpleX Chat
CategoryMatrix & XMPPChat & Communication
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageDartHaskell
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM64 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 3,039★ 19,211
First released20192021
ReplacesWhatsApp, TelegramSignal, WhatsApp, Telegram

Why pick each one

Choose FluffyChat if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Active community (3k GitHub stars)
  • Written in Dart
FluffyChat details

Choose SimpleX Chat if…

  • Best-in-class metadata privacy
  • Run your own relays
SimpleX Chat details

Frequently asked questions

Is FluffyChat or SimpleX Chat better?

Neither is universally better. SimpleX Chat has the larger community, while FluffyChat is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are FluffyChat and SimpleX Chat free and open-source?

Yes. FluffyChat is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SimpleX Chat under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run FluffyChat and SimpleX Chat with Docker?

FluffyChat: check the project docs for container support. SimpleX Chat: yes.

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