gomuks vs Movim
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | gomuks | Movim |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,727 | ★ 2,055 |
| First released | 2018 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Facebook, Slack |
What are gomuks and Movim?
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
Movim
Movim is a federated social networking and instant messaging platform built on the XMPP protocol. It provides a modern web interface for chat, group conversations, and a publish-subscribe news feed.
- XMPP-based federation
- Modern web chat interface
- Built-in blogging and news feed
- OMEMO end-to-end encryption
gomuks vs Movim: key differences
Gomuks is written in Go, while Movim is built with PHP. Gomuks is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Movim. Movim is the more established project (first released 2010), while gomuks arrived in 2018. Movim 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 Movim if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Watch out for
- Requires an XMPP server
- Smaller ecosystem
Frequently asked questions
Is gomuks or Movim better?
Neither is universally better. Movim 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 Movim free and open-source?
Yes. gomuks is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Movim under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gomuks and Movim with Docker?
gomuks: check the project docs for container support. Movim: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, gomuks or Movim?
gomuks has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Movim. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.