FluffyChat vs Synapse Admin

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureFluffyChatSynapse Admin
CategoryMatrix & XMPPMatrix & XMPP
LicenseAGPL-3.0Apache-2.0
LanguageDartTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM64 MB64 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 3,039★ 457
First released20192020
ReplacesWhatsApp, 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 Synapse Admin if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in TypeScript
Synapse Admin details

Frequently asked questions

Is FluffyChat or Synapse Admin better?

Neither is universally better. FluffyChat has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are FluffyChat and Synapse Admin free and open-source?

Yes. FluffyChat is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Synapse Admin under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run FluffyChat and Synapse Admin with Docker?

FluffyChat: check the project docs for container support. Synapse Admin: yes.

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