gomuks vs Prose
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | gomuks | Prose |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 64 · Good |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,727 | ★ 59 |
| First released | 2018 | 2025 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Discord, Facebook Messenger, Signal |
What are gomuks and Prose?
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
Prose
Prose Web application. XMPP client for team messaging.
gomuks vs Prose: key differences
Gomuks is written in Go, while Prose is built with Vue. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for gomuks versus MPL-2.0 for Prose. Prose is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 128 MB for gomuks. Gomuks is the more established project (first released 2018), while Prose arrived in 2025. Gomuks has the considerably larger community, at 1,727 GitHub stars versus 59.
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 Prose if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Vue
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is gomuks or Prose better?
Neither is universally better. gomuks has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are gomuks and Prose free and open-source?
Yes. gomuks is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Prose under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run gomuks and Prose with Docker?
gomuks: check the project docs for container support. Prose: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, gomuks or Prose?
Prose has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for gomuks. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.