gomuks vs JSXC
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | gomuks | JSXC |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 12 · At risk |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,727 | ★ 731 |
| First released | 2018 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are gomuks and JSXC?
gomuks
gomuks is a terminal user interface client for the Matrix protocol. It supports end-to-end encryption and provides a keyboard-driven chat experience for people who prefer the command line.
- Terminal UI
- End-to-end encryption
- Keyboard-driven
- Single Go binary
JSXC
JSXC is a real-time XMPP chat application that runs in the browser and can be integrated into web platforms like Nextcloud and SOGo. It supports OTR and OMEMO encryption.
- Browser-based XMPP client
- OTR and OMEMO encryption
- Integrates with Nextcloud
- Audio and video via WebRTC
gomuks vs JSXC: key differences
Gomuks is written in Go, while JSXC is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for gomuks versus MIT for JSXC. JSXC is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for gomuks. JSXC is the more established project (first released 2013), while gomuks arrived in 2018. Gomuks has the considerably larger community, at 1,727 GitHub stars versus 731.
Why pick each one
Choose gomuks if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Choose JSXC if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Needs an XMPP backend
- Integration-focused
Frequently asked questions
Is gomuks or JSXC better?
gomuks is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider JSXC if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are gomuks and JSXC free and open-source?
Yes. gomuks is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and JSXC under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gomuks and JSXC with Docker?
gomuks: check the project docs for container support. JSXC: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, gomuks or JSXC?
JSXC has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for gomuks. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.