Galène vs Jami
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Galène | Jami |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 62 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,409 | ★ 44 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Google Meet | Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp |
What are Galène and Jami?
Galène
Galène is a simple, efficient videoconferencing server designed for teaching and online meetings. It is written in Go and runs as a single binary with minimal dependencies.
- Single binary, no database
- Low resource usage
- Designed for teaching
- Screen sharing and recording
Jami
Jami is a free and universal communication platform that preserves privacy through a fully distributed, peer-to-peer architecture with no central servers. It supports messaging, voice, and video calls.
- No central server, fully P2P
- End-to-end encrypted calls and chat
- Cross-platform clients
- Can run a private rendezvous server
Galène vs Jami: key differences
Galène is written in Go, while Jami is built with C++. Licensing differs — MIT for Galène versus GPL-3.0 for Jami. Galène is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Jami. Jami is the more established project (first released 2016), while Galène arrived in 2020. Galène has the considerably larger community, at 1,409 GitHub stars versus 44. Galène lists first-class Docker deployment; Jami does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Galène if…
- Extremely simple to deploy
- Efficient on small servers
Watch out for
- Minimal UI
- Fewer features than larger platforms
Choose Jami if…
- No infrastructure required
- Strong privacy model
Watch out for
- P2P can be unreliable behind NAT
- No always-online message storage
Frequently asked questions
Is Galène or Jami better?
Galène is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Jami if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Galène and Jami free and open-source?
Yes. Galène is licensed under MIT and Jami under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Galène and Jami with Docker?
Galène: yes. Jami: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Galène or Jami?
Galène has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Jami. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.