gomuks vs MongooseIM
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | gomuks | MongooseIM |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 85 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Erlang |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,727 | ★ 1,760 |
| First released | 2018 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, WhatsApp |
What are gomuks and MongooseIM?
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
MongooseIM
MongooseIM is an enterprise-grade XMPP server written in Erlang, designed for high scalability and reliability. It supports clustering, REST APIs, and modern messaging extensions.
- Built for massive scale
- Clustering and high availability
- GraphQL and REST admin APIs
- Modern XEP support
gomuks vs MongooseIM: key differences
Gomuks is written in Go, while MongooseIM is built with Erlang. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for gomuks versus GPL-2.0 for MongooseIM. Gomuks is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for MongooseIM. MongooseIM is the more established project (first released 2012), while gomuks arrived in 2018. MongooseIM lists first-class Docker deployment; gomuks does not.
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 MongooseIM if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Erlang
Watch out for
- Complex deployment
- Requires Erlang knowledge to extend
Frequently asked questions
Is gomuks or MongooseIM better?
Neither is universally better. MongooseIM has the larger community, while gomuks is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are gomuks and MongooseIM free and open-source?
Yes. gomuks is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and MongooseIM under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gomuks and MongooseIM with Docker?
gomuks: check the project docs for container support. MongooseIM: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, gomuks or MongooseIM?
gomuks has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for MongooseIM. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.