Fractal vs Openfire
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
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | Fractal | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 900 | ★ 3,052 |
| First released | 2017 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
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 Openfire better?
Neither is universally better. Openfire 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 Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. Fractal is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fractal and Openfire with Docker?
Fractal: check the project docs for container support. Openfire: yes.