Fractal vs KiwiIRC
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 | KiwiIRC |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 900 | ★ 982 |
| First released | 2017 | 2011 |
| 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 KiwiIRC if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Vue
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Fractal or KiwiIRC better?
Neither is universally better. KiwiIRC 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 KiwiIRC free and open-source?
Yes. Fractal is licensed under GPL-3.0 and KiwiIRC under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fractal and KiwiIRC with Docker?
Fractal: check the project docs for container support. KiwiIRC: yes.