Gajim 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?
Gajim
Full-featured XMPP client with plugins
VS
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | Gajim | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 600 | ★ 3,052 |
| First released | 2005 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Skype, Slack | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Choose Gajim if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Gajim or Openfire better?
Neither is universally better. Openfire has the larger community, while Gajim is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Gajim and Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. Gajim is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gajim and Openfire with Docker?
Gajim: check the project docs for container support. Openfire: yes.