Fractal vs Revolt
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 | Revolt |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Team Chat |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 900 | ★ 3,203 |
| First released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | 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 Revolt better?
Neither is universally better. Revolt 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 Revolt free and open-source?
Yes. Fractal is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Revolt under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fractal and Revolt with Docker?
Fractal: check the project docs for container support. Revolt: yes.