Fractal vs InspIRCd
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?
| Feature | Fractal | InspIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 900 | ★ 1,338 |
| First released | 2017 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Fractal if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose InspIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Fractal or InspIRCd better?
Neither is universally better. InspIRCd has the larger community, while Fractal is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Fractal and InspIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Fractal is licensed under GPL-3.0 and InspIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fractal and InspIRCd with Docker?
Fractal: check the project docs for container support. InspIRCd: yes.