Fractal vs Dendrite Lite
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?
Fractal
GNOME-native Matrix messaging client
VS
Dendrite Lite
Second-generation Matrix homeserver written in Go
| Feature | Fractal | Dendrite Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 900 | ★ 955 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| 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
Frequently asked questions
Is Fractal or Dendrite Lite better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite Lite 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 Dendrite Lite free and open-source?
Yes. Fractal is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Dendrite Lite under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fractal and Dendrite Lite with Docker?
Fractal: check the project docs for container support. Dendrite Lite: yes.