SHSelfHostIndex

Fractal vs Maubot

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?
FR Fractal GNOME-native Matrix messaging client VS MA Maubot Plugin-based bot framework for Matrix chat rooms
FeatureFractalMaubot
CategoryMatrix & XMPPMatrix & XMPP
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageRustPython
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcedocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 900★ 891
First released20172018
ReplacesSlack, DiscordSlack bots

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
Fractal details

Choose Maubot if…

  • Extensible with plugins
  • Easy plugin management
Maubot details

Frequently asked questions

Is Fractal or Maubot better?

Fractal is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Maubot if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Fractal and Maubot free and open-source?

Yes. Fractal is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Maubot under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Fractal and Maubot with Docker?

Fractal: check the project docs for container support. Maubot: yes.

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