gomuks vs Profanity
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | gomuks | Profanity |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,727 | ★ 1,542 |
| First released | 2018 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are gomuks and Profanity?
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
Profanity
Profanity is a console XMPP client whose interface is inspired by irssi. It supports OMEMO and OTR encryption, group chats, and a fully keyboard-driven workflow for the terminal.
- Terminal interface
- OMEMO and OTR encryption
- Keyboard-driven workflow
- Plugin support
gomuks vs Profanity: key differences
Gomuks is written in Go, while Profanity is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for gomuks versus GPL-3.0 for Profanity. Profanity is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for gomuks. Profanity is the more established project (first released 2012), while gomuks arrived in 2018.
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 Profanity if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is gomuks or Profanity better?
gomuks is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Profanity if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are gomuks and Profanity free and open-source?
Yes. gomuks is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Profanity under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gomuks and Profanity with Docker?
gomuks: check the project docs for container support. Profanity: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, gomuks or Profanity?
Profanity has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for gomuks. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.