Galène vs Peer-calls
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Peer-calls
Group peer to peer video calls for everyone
| Feature | Galène | Peer-calls |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 37 · At risk |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,409 | ★ 1,900 |
| First released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Google Meet | BigBlueButton, Skype, Zoom |
What are Galène and Peer-calls?
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
Peer-calls
Group peer to peer video calls for everyone.
Galène vs Peer-calls: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — MIT for Galène versus Apache-2.0 for Peer-calls. Peer-calls is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Galène. Galène is the more established project (first released 2020), while Peer-calls arrived in 2024. Galène lists first-class Docker deployment; Peer-calls 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 Peer-calls if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Galène or Peer-calls better?
Neither is universally better. Peer-calls has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Galène and Peer-calls free and open-source?
Yes. Galène is licensed under MIT and Peer-calls under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Galène and Peer-calls with Docker?
Galène: yes. Peer-calls: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Galène or Peer-calls?
Peer-calls has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Galène. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.